Lack of safety clothing at work.. suggestions please

dickydonkin

ILW wrote: »

Are you saying shelf stackers in a supermarket should be wearing safety boots at all times?

I would suggest that if they have to collect stock from a warehouse which is a mandatory foot protection area, then YES.

jc808

"ive a mind to go down there and give the manager a piece of my mind"

lol

dickydonkin

jc808 wrote: »

"ive a mind to go down there and give the manager a piece of my mind"

lol

Sounds like the manager will need some personal protective equipment of his own.......:) !

scheming_gypsy

DKLS wrote: »

When I was taught how to use a hand pallet truck, it mainly involved how to use it as a big skateboard around the warehouse.

they were the good old days, before Health and Safety made everything too much hassle.
When I used to use a pallet truck we didn't need any training, safety boots or high vis jackets. Just common sense

RichardD1970

To be honest, how much training do you need to operate a pallet truck? 2 minutes at most.

As for the PPE, unless we have access to the area/job risk assessment we don't know what is required.

scheming_gypsy

When I was at BT back in the late nineties you had to have training to use step ladders - this was in offices with a ten foot high ceiling. You have to be a special kind of crayon eater to not be able to go up a few steps without some training first.
Although it turned out, all the training I needed was just 'look. just give me the f**king ladders'

paddedjohn

jc808 wrote: »

"ive a mind to go down there and give the manager a piece of my mind"

lol

Yes do that, and show them that your adult son can't fight his own battles. No, what you should be doing is telling him to go into work but refuse to use the pallet truck until he has been given the appropriate PPE, ie boots and high viz if needed

RichardD1970

Just an observation.

I have just come back from shopping at Asda (what an exiting Friday ) night and they were in the process of "dragging out" ready for shelf stacking.

Not one of the people I saw were wearing safety shoes (even including one who I assume was a manager as he was wearing a shirt and tie) and only about 50% were wearing hi-vis.

dickydonkin

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

they were the good old days, before Health and Safety made everything too much hassle.

You mean like the days when we sent 6 year old kids up chimneys?

Unfortunately the likes of the Daily Mail embellishing stories give H&S a bad name.

Rather than blame health and safety for the 'hassle' you describe, you should turn your attention to the insurance companies, our litigious society and untrained staff who work in HR departments in particular, who, in these days of austerity, have been given the poison chalice of looking after H&S in their workplace when many (not all) haven't got a clue.

If applying and interpreting H&S legislation correctly and proportionately, there should be no 'hassle' in trying to ensure your family can go out to work and return home safely.

To be honest, how much training do you need to operate a pallet truck? 2 minutes at most.

As I alluded to upthread, in most cases, a toolbox talk would probably be sufficent for operation - the manual handling element may take longer depending on the tasks/loads involved. The depth of training may aso depend on insurance requirements.

As for the PPE, unless we have access to the area/job risk assessment we don't know what is required.

It would be good practice to wear safety footwear even when using a hand pallet truck for short periods. It only takes one use to drop a pallet on your toe.

paddedjohn

RichardD1970 wrote: »

Just an observation.

I have just come back from shopping at Asda (what an exiting Friday ) night and they were in the process of "dragging out" ready for shelf stacking.

Not one of the people I saw were wearing safety shoes (even including one who I assume was a manager as he was wearing a shirt and tie) and only about 50% were wearing hi-vis.

Design has come a long way since the days of hobnail boots, nowadays you wouldn't be able to tell by looking if the footwear were steel toe capped/reinforced or not. I used to have a pair of steel toe capped trainers that were great for five-a-side, no one knew but me.