You couldn't make it up

[bobmac]

Stoke-on-Trent council have banned their contractors from using ladders (H&S)
They now must erect scaffolding when changing light bulbs.
Scaffolding stays in place for 8 days at £35 per day.
£280 to change a light bulb.
Who owns the scaffolding business?
A joint venture between Kier Building Maintenance and Stoke-on-Trent council
Payments made last year to Kier Building Maintenance???

£1.4m.

 

[Imurg]

I would say that the world's gone mad but it went there years ago......

 

[USER1999]

Statistically, ladders are dangerous, and are a major cause of accidents in the work place. It is unusual now to be allowed to work from a ladder. we only have two people in the company who have had the required training.

It is much safer to stand on a gas lift chair to change a bulb.

 

[madandra]

My mate got a verbal warning for standing on a step ladder and changing a bulb at his wok due to H&S regulations ....


What does he do??






He is a fireman !!!!!

 

[stevek1969]

I got a lecture a while back for standing on the ladder incorrectly when i was connecting up a motor from our HSE guy,his engineering backgound was stacking shelves in Tesco,give them a year course and they know everything ,knob

 

[nomadpaul]

We carry a set of steps - just 2 steps high - but officially that seems to be deemed as working at height hence the need for a training course....supposedly !!!

Its H&S gone mad !!!

 

[CliveW]

Stoke-on-Trent council have banned their contractors from using ladders (H&S)
They now must erect scaffolding when changing light bulbs.
Scaffolding stays in place for 8 days at £35 per day.
£280 to change a light bulb.
Who owns the scaffolding business?
A joint venture between Kier Building Maintenance and Stoke-on-Trent council
Payments made last year to Kier Building Maintenance???

£1.4m.

I read that in the paper yesterday and couldn't believe it. Apparently one resident became so fed up waiting for staff to turn up to fix an outside bulb at his home that he changed it himself - by standing on tiptoe!

 

[bobmac]

Health and safety aside, the council are paying the scaffolding company all this money and they own half the company.
No wonder they dont mind spending £280 of tax payers money to change a light bulb when they are trousering half the money.
And can anyone tell me why the scaffolding needs to stay in situ for 8 days?

 

[chrisd]

I own a hire company and a 2.4m tower from me is £42 per week plus VAT - so someones on the fiddle!!!



Chris

 

[viscount17]

We carry a set of steps - just 2 steps high - but officially that seems to be deemed as working at height hence the need for a training course....supposedly !!!

Its H&S gone mad !!!

so is working around an inspection pit, so I guess grave diggers have to have the training too.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

And you wonder why petrol is so high, hospital waiting lists are so long and the country is genrally shot to crap. It will only get worse and I hate to think what the next generation and the one after will have to cope with

 

[AuburnWarrior]

Statistically, ladders are dangerous, and are a major cause of accidents in the work place. It is unusual now to be allowed to work from a ladder. we only have two people in the company who have had the required training.

It is much safer to stand on a gas lift chair to change a bulb.

Can I just ask, what's the required training for the use of a ladder???

I always had the opinion that ladders were one of those inventions that didn't really need instructions/training.

Am I wrong???

 

[viscount17]

for a start using a ladder is a two person task

 

[DCB]

Thorny subject this one.

What I would say is that you'd be hard pushed to believe some of the antics that goon when ladders are in use. Using scaffolds, staging, scissor lifts, hydraulic lifts etc are by far the safer option IF the people have been trained in their use. No training and you're back at square one

Having in the past had responsibility for a team of engineers I'm fully aware of most if not all the pitfalls that using ladders can bring.

Currently I can sleep easy at night as it's someone elses problem, not mine

 

[John_Findlay]

I've had a couple of "ladder moments' myself.

One was when I was decorating the house, overstretched and it started to wobble. I was very proud to have the sense to jump off, land like a cat and get a 6.0 for style by the judges. After taking a bow the ladder then fell on my head.



It seems you need a crash helmet for these things too.

 

[bobmac]

I agree ladders can be unsafe but.....
The council pay out £280 to chnge one light bulb to a company that is half owned by themselves.
£1.4m last year

 

[USER1999]

Surely that's saving though. If they didn't own any of the company, then the money would all go to the contractor. If the council get 50% back, what's the problem?

 

[bobmac]

Surely that's saving though. If they didn't own any of the company, then the money would all go to the contractor. If the council get 50% back, what's the problem?

As long as it goes into the council coffers and not the Bonuses pot.
Sorry Chris, but something smells very fishy here.
Someone's making big time out of this and it isn't the tax payer

 

[beggsy]

how do i go on then im a self employed roof tiler and when i get a call to replace a missing ridge tile as its blown off in wind an i charge £50 no customer will have me do it when its an extra £200 for a scaff