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saftey run amuck?????

watglen

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
1,314
Location
Dunnville, Ontario, Canada
Occupation
Farmer, drainage and excavating contractor, Farm d
I was told by a deere rep that they are required to wear fall protection to access the top of the house on their 450s and such. I couldn't believe it at the time, but i guess its going around.

I am in southern Ontario.

It is pretty obvious these people and organizations are simply justifying their jobs.
 

special tool

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
878
Location
Bethel, Ct.
In all seriousness - we should put ourselves in their shoes, at least slightly.
If we get hurt, it IS a reflection on them, and it appears they are not doing a good job of protecting us.

If you try to keep this in mind next time, it will really help you from wanting to choke the stuffing out of them.
 

Greg

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Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
1,175
Location
Wi
Occupation
Excavating Contractor
No, alrman, they are not sufficient. Get in the basket of a manlift. Even though the rail comes up waist high you still need a harness. If you run a grader standing you are supposed to wear a harness. If sitting on the seat, seat belt required. '

This country has gotten so carried away with reflector vests, hard hats, glasses, harnesses, backup and foreword alarms, steel toe shoes, strobe lights, face shields, ear plugs and the like that it is impossible to hear, see, or move out of "Harms Way."

We are not fricking idiots that can't watch and hear what is going on around us and know what the hazards are.
 

special tool

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
878
Location
Bethel, Ct.
No, alrman, they are not sufficient. Get in the basket of a manlift. Even though the rail comes up waist high you still need a harness. If you run a grader standing you are supposed to wear a harness. If sitting on the seat, seat belt required. '

This country has gotten so carried away with reflector vests, hard hats, glasses, harnesses, backup and foreword alarms, steel toe shoes, strobe lights, face shields, ear plugs and the like that it is impossible to hear, see, or move out of "Harms Way."

We are not fricking idiots that can't watch and hear what is going on around us and know what the hazards are.

We can thank the lawyers for that - who always leech off of our insurance companies.
 
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stock

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
2,022
Location
Eire
Occupation
We have moved on and now were lost....
I had thought of composing a big spiel on health and safety and since my first post I have been working on it when a thought struck me "KISS" keep it simple stupid so I want to see if you can constructively answer this question,
Why do we have safety at work legislation?

may have more questions to follow we will see.
 

cat 385

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Messages
346
Location
west jordan,utah
No were just not so old and senile that we can't walk on them without falling off.:D

I've never been harassed about fall protection when checking out our Iron. And the day I do is the day they can move me into the office.

well let see i was probably about your age when i fell off it so i guess i'm just clumsy;)i don't know if you run a dozer like in your avatar but most mines i have been in already have chains outside the cab to keep operators from falling off and talk to any dozer operator on here that's ran a wide track dozer in the snow see how fun that is getting in and out(mabe you have)even getting on top of a 300 series hoe when it is icey can be very slick.
 

plantman.uk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
201
Location
uk
Occupation
excavator operator
just read the posts...very funny these safety people...had one guy ask me if i had a quick hitch ticket(training)...been changing buckets for years with and without quick hitch...how hard is it?..they have to justify their jobs i know safety is paramount these days but most of the time these guys are a waste of space(my opinion) i have no time for them..
 

expatracer

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Joined
Aug 29, 2009
Messages
74
Location
north vancouver
Occupation
hoe operator
the same time he was asking me about the saftey stuff he asked me if i a ticket to run this machine or was i just a labour jumping in to do the job:Banghead in BC as far as i no there is no ticket for running heavy equipment , so i asked my boss he said they just fax the a note on company letter head saying im a certified operator !! and there happy with that . my machine does'nt have a mark on it at just over 3000hrs i asked him if it looked like a machine that was inexpreisend operator he said no there your answer:D
 

Demo_Andy

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Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
61
Location
England
Occupation
Demolition Machine operator
In the UK most main contractors are using a yellow/red card system for safety breaches. Red = severe and your straight off, no arguing. Yellow = minor/moderate but if you get two yellow you're now a red and off LOL. Like football (Soccer for US ;) )

When I say off, I mean off the job for good and in most cases black listed on all that main contractors future sites.

I got a yellow (My first) for refuelling an Hitachi 225 and I found it insulting to say the least.

The thing is, there is no point arguing in my opinion.

I know its tempting to get all high and mighty, but what you have to ask yourself is... Is it worth your job? Your employers reputation? Your companies chance of future contracts?

The answer is no for all the above. Health and safety is here to stay so get on with it.

I think if you feel a health and safety 'idea' is impeding you its something for your supervisor/ employer to do something about. Put the ball in their court.
 

cat 385

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Messages
346
Location
west jordan,utah
In the UK most main contractors are using a yellow/red card system for safety breaches. Red = severe and your straight off, no arguing. Yellow = minor/moderate but if you get two yellow you're now a red and off LOL. Like football (Soccer for US ;) )

When I say off, I mean off the job for good and in most cases black listed on all that main contractors future sites.

I got a yellow (My first) for refuelling an Hitachi 225 and I found it insulting to say the least.

The thing is, there is no point arguing in my opinion.

I know its tempting to get all high and mighty, but what you have to ask yourself is... Is it worth your job? Your employers reputation? Your companies chance of future contracts?

The answer is no for all the above. Health and safety is here to stay so get on with it.

I think if you feel a health and safety 'idea' is impeding you its something for your supervisor/ employer to do something about. Put the ball in their court.
yep that is pretty much all you can do it's like the safety guy at work told me about one of the mines we were working at he say's you can try to argue but the bottom line is we as contractor(the company i work for)sign a contract that we know the safety rules and we know what is expected of us so how do you argue with that.
 

RDG

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2007
Messages
317
Location
Qld Australia
Occupation
Multi skilled plant operator for 40+yrs
Over erein Oz as of Jan 2010 all excavators and loaders/IT tool carriers etc that lift suspended loads, ie pipes/manhole components etc must have check valves in the hyd system to prevent load drop in the event of a hose burst. The CO I am with just bought a new PC 300-8 with all the gizzmos on it and have to fit all the stuff on to the loaders etc in the drainage division to make them legal at great expense for all concerned, the rail around the engine compartment is also in the pipeline. Have also heard that if they dont have drop valves the lifting eyes have to be removed which then means that to tow something out of a bog it will be back to hooking the tow line around the teeth like used to be done in the good old days as there will be no proper pulling point any more. The other thing is the excavator had to have was a quickhitch that had a fail safe locking mechanisim as the manual lock pin is no longer legal.
 

cps

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
811
Location
Ireland
Occupation
plant mechanic
I know that in the U.K and Ireland, Most of the major quarries insist that Excavators have Extra rails added to the upper structure with toe kicks aswel! Some even go as far as extra width walk ways with rails down each side for servicing etc!

Had a heated discussion about this with a safty guy one morning when he suggested that we should be wear a fall arrest system when working at heights i.e on the upperstucture of an excavator!!! I ask ''were do we hook it to'', then he thought for abit and suggested that with should have scaffold up when working up there, fair enougth so should an operator have scaffold when doing daly checks i asked.... he never really give me an answer!! Never seen him since:beatsme

Dont get me wrong im not disregaurding health and safety in any with, but you need to draw the line somewhere!

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plantman.uk

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Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
201
Location
uk
Occupation
excavator operator
most of them are just jobsworths...not got alot time for them...safety is paramount i agree but most of these guys can't do the job themselves so they **** others off instead...scaffold around the machine when you fuel it whatever next, 3 point entry/exit has always been a safe method whether you got mud on your boots or not....in my case i like to wear slippers in the cab and get the diesel jockey to fuel it.(haha)
 

Truckie

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
289
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
All this safety talk about slip and fall situations and what not, well I got a question.
Where the hell was the health and safety person this morning when I was laying on my back after slipping on the ice on the way to my machine? I was laying there and thinking to my self “if I were tied off this would not have happened to me” Then I thought O yeah I was walking on level ground. O well, I got up and brushed my self off and continued on my way to the machine and checked it out and fired her up and left her warm up for a while.
 

RobVG

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Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
1,028
Location
Seattle WA
Occupation
17 excavators and a stewpot of other stuff
Never seen an excavator with tail lights...
 

ontrac

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Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Messages
89
Location
Oklahoma
Could you just dig a hole and park in it? Then it would be ground level.That should make them think.
 

excavator

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
1,445
Location
Pacific North West
It's socialism, pure and simple. Many in our world no longer feel that they have to be responsible for their actions and if they get hurt they want the government to bail them out. In the states we have now come to the point where it looks like we will soon have national health care. Many people seem to want the government to run everything. And if this happens then this episode we are talking about here will seem like a very minor thing. If we can't think for ourselves or take care of ourselves and expect the government to provide everything, then they will. But I can gaurantee it will be much more than any of us want. It will be total control. Just my humble opinion.
 

grandpa

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Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
1,979
Location
northern minnesota
In all seriousness - we should put ourselves in their shoes, at least slightly.
If we get hurt, it IS a reflection on them, and it appears they are not doing a good job of protecting us.

If you try to keep this in mind next time, it will really help you from wanting to choke the stuffing out of them.
That all might be true, but I asked my MSHA inspector how many people were killed in mining operations in Minnesota last year, and his answer was zero. I than asked him how many bicyclers where killed in Minnesota last year, his answer was Seven! If that sport is that much more deadly than mining (this includes gravel pits) dont you think the eforcement monies would be better spend teaching you how to properly ride a bike?:cool2
 

special tool

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Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
878
Location
Bethel, Ct.
That all might be true, but I asked my MSHA inspector how many people were killed in mining operations in Minnesota last year, and his answer was zero. I than asked him how many bicyclers where killed in Minnesota last year, his answer was Seven! If that sport is that much more deadly than mining (this includes gravel pits) dont you think the eforcement monies would be better spend teaching you how to properly ride a bike?:cool2

Yes, I agree.
My post was really meant as a means of protecting safety inspectors.....from getting the stuffing choked out of them.:D
 

tootalltimmy

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2008
Messages
397
Location
Okanagan Falls B.C. Canada
The big difference is the fact that workers are covered by insurance when they are on the job ( WorkSafeB.C.). Insurance companies don't like to pay, they just like to collect premiums. If a company has a claim, their premiums will be raised until they pay the cost of it.

It seems like the premiums are mostly spent on lawyers, buildings and inspectors.
 
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