health and safety "to the extreme"

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jimti

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Bus stop bench faces 'wrong way'

Residents who waited more than a year for a bench next to a bus stop found one placed facing away from the road.
The park bench was placed in such a way following fears that some elderly people could fall into Leek Road, in Stoke-on-Trent, the city council said.

Some people said they had to crane their necks to look for a bus.

The council has now admitted it probably took health and safety "to the extreme" and will put in a bench facing the road in the next few days.

If this bench was in a shelter, it wouldn't have looked out of place

Mohammed Pervez, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

The park bench cost £50 to install, but the new one could cost up to £1,000, partly because of work to level the ground to minimise risks to the public.

Councillor for Hanley West and Shelton, Marjorie Bate, said the original bench was "ridiculous".

She said: "I laughed. I have never seen anything so stupid.

"I then contacted certain officers and they said it wasn't a mistake - it was done deliberately because of health and safety reasons.

"Some of them (the elderly residents) probably wouldn't have time to get around the bench and onto the bus, especially if they don't see it coming early enough."

'Right reasons'

The city council has now said the bench looks "rather silly".

The portfolio holder for community services and equalities, Mohammed Pervez, said: "If this bench was in a shelter, it wouldn't have looked out of place.

"But because it's on its own, it's looking a bit strange."

He has now intervened to ensure the bench will be removed on Tuesday and another is installed in due course.

Mr Pervez said: "The positioning of the bench was done for the right reasons.

"Some elderly people are unsteady on their feet and could risk falling into the road.

"But in this case we've probably taken health and safety to the extreme."




Source: www.BBC.co.uk/news
 
I would like to see the idiotic risk assesment done for this bench!

its not taking Heath and safety to far, its employing people who are unable to do the job correctly. The person responsible for this was incompetant.

Smacks of Ambition exceeding abilty.

Guidlines for HSE is to remove the risk as far as practical. As its clearly not practical to have a bench facing the wrong way, then placing it that way round is not the solution, and this in itself has created further problems which would have been avoided.

surely a small barrier, or hand rails would have prevented, or given these unsteady people the help they need.


But the one that makes me scream, is who really thought they would fall into the road and people would then drive over them? I know people get knocked down, and also I have seen buses plough into the bus stops, but lets get real! unless this bench is totally unsighted to a driver, and assuming its in a 40mph area, it really would be difficult for someone inadvertanlty to fall into the road, and still get run over.
 
Somewhere in every town hall across the country, there is a bean counter thinking up bizarre "Worst case scenarios" like this all the time!

In a bored moment at work last night I was going through all of the Operational Orders on the Intranet- Basically plans for all sorts of eventualities.

I can't describe them for obvious reasons, but needless to say some of the scenarios they've thought up boggle the mind- "What can go wrong, will go wrong..."
 
Health a safety has gone crazy for the company I work for. I am suprised we dont have to walk around in a padded suit :(
A lot of things really are just people keeping themselves in a job.
 
there is a village missing someone at this moment ...
 
Health a safety has gone crazy for the company I work for. I am suprised we dont have to walk around in a padded suit :(
A lot of things really are just people keeping themselves in a job.

I think it's more about protection against litigation sadly :( Did you know that if you spot a hazard at work and you do nothing about it and someone then hurts themself you can be prosecuted? I'm thinking of making a report just for walking into my workplace that someone somewhere might hurt themself as the building, like many others, is full of normal everyday hazards. Then at least my liability will have been discharged:D

I agree it has gone crazy and I think the "all for the protection of your health and saftey" is a smoke screen for "we have to protect ourselves form prosection at all costs".

It's about time people were credited with the intelligence they have and made to take personal responsibility for when they make perhaps foolish decisions. Obvious risks should of course be mitigated and responsibility for common sense risks apportioned appropriately. But we've lost all sense of the word appropriately.:(
 
As a shop manager, i am quite involved with health and safety, which some of it is absured, for example. Overnight i must not lock the fire exits becuase if an intruder breaks into my store and there is a fire and he cannot escape because the fire exits are locked, i could be liable for his/her safety
I find it silly, and unfortunatly some things never cease to amaze me

Dave
 
I usually try to see the other persons point of view and if there is a majority against it, then I try to advocate it. I'm struggling this time - anybody give me a lead.
 

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