The 'safety' culture
Readers in the Western isles will remember this story...
An entire Coastguard unit has resigned in protest at the sacking of their leader - hours after he led the search for a father and son killed in a canoeing tragedy. [...] But the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said he had contravened health and safety rules on a number of occasions and had to be disciplined.
When Mr Morrison got home after midnight, a full-time Coastguard official was waiting with a letter of dismissal. [...]
It is believed that the long-serving Mr Morrison had been warned in the past about the MCA's concerns relating to health and safety practices, and a series of informal meetings had been held with senior officials regarding them. The spokesman would not specify what those health and safety concerns had been, but said they involved Mr Morrison's "methodology" of working.
This practice now seems to be the norm....
A volunteer coastguard who won an award for rescuing a schoolgirl from a crumbling cliff ledge has resigned after a row over health and safety.
Paul Waugh climbed down to Faye Harrison, 13, who was hanging on by her fingertips and about to fall 200ft (60m) at Salburn-on-Sea, Teesside. He did not wear safety equipment as it would have taken time to go back to his vehicle which was some distance away.
Mr Waugh was later told he had broken rules and was under investigation. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was not looking for dead heroes.
But dead children seem to be acceptable to the MCA (A public agency in case you have forgotten).This is not about "Health and Safety", it is about pen-pushers with nothing better to do covering their arses to make sure they never carry any of the blame for anything. Ever.
It cannot be longer before the entire Coastguard are banned from cliff-edges as they are deemed "too dangerous" by some never-was who has never had to get their hands dirty.
There is a time and place for Health and Safety, and appropriate training is necessary, but when it results in this, and in children drowning whilst rescuers just watch, then you know it has just gone totally wrong.
Let's get some balance back into life, by reintroducing common sense at the expenses of petty rules.
When Mr Morrison got home after midnight, a full-time Coastguard official was waiting with a letter of dismissal. [...]
It is believed that the long-serving Mr Morrison had been warned in the past about the MCA's concerns relating to health and safety practices, and a series of informal meetings had been held with senior officials regarding them. The spokesman would not specify what those health and safety concerns had been, but said they involved Mr Morrison's "methodology" of working.
This practice now seems to be the norm....
A volunteer coastguard who won an award for rescuing a schoolgirl from a crumbling cliff ledge has resigned after a row over health and safety.
Paul Waugh climbed down to Faye Harrison, 13, who was hanging on by her fingertips and about to fall 200ft (60m) at Salburn-on-Sea, Teesside. He did not wear safety equipment as it would have taken time to go back to his vehicle which was some distance away.
Mr Waugh was later told he had broken rules and was under investigation. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was not looking for dead heroes.
But dead children seem to be acceptable to the MCA (A public agency in case you have forgotten).This is not about "Health and Safety", it is about pen-pushers with nothing better to do covering their arses to make sure they never carry any of the blame for anything. Ever.
It cannot be longer before the entire Coastguard are banned from cliff-edges as they are deemed "too dangerous" by some never-was who has never had to get their hands dirty.
There is a time and place for Health and Safety, and appropriate training is necessary, but when it results in this, and in children drowning whilst rescuers just watch, then you know it has just gone totally wrong.
Let's get some balance back into life, by reintroducing common sense at the expenses of petty rules.
5 comments:
The regulation culture extends to the education sector. School 1960 vs. school 2008...
+ + + + +
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1960 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up mates.
2007 - Police are called, SWAT team arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. Mobiles with video of fight confiscated as evidence. They are charged with assault, AVOs are taken out and both are suspended even though Johnny started it. Diversionary conferences and parent meetings conducted. Video shown on 6 internet sites.
Scenario: Jeffrey won't sit still in class, disrupts other students.
1960 - Jeffrey is sent to the principal's office and given a good paddling. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. Counselled to death. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra funding because Jeffrey has a disability. Drops out of school.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1960 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. Psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mum has an affair with the psychologist. Psychologist gets a promotion.
Scenario: Mark, a college student, brings cigarettes to school.
1960 - Mark shares a smoke with the school principal out on the smoking area.
2007 - Police are called and Mark is expelled from School for drug possession. His car is searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Vinh fails high school English.
1960 - Vinh goes to Remedial English, passes and goes to college.
2007 - Vinh's cause is taken up by local human rights group. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that making English a requirement for graduation is racist. Civil Liberties Association files class action lawsuit against state school system and his English teacher. English is banned from core curriculum. Vinh is given his Y10 anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers, puts them in a model plane paint bottle and blows up an anthill.
1960 - Ants die.
2007 - Security and ASIO are called and Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. Teams investigate parents, siblings are removed from the home, computers are confiscated, and Johnny's dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario: Johnny falls during recess and scrapes his knee. His teacher, Mary, finds him crying, and gives him a hug to comfort him.
1960 - Johnny soon feels better and goes back to playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy. Becomes gay.
Hell, Angus, you're really attracting the nuts now. Some people have too much time on their hands.
eyoop, I work on the principle of give them enough rope.....
Portraying an American cut-and-paste as your own work is just soooo mature.
You can't even get the years right - is it 2007 or 2008 you are referring to?
I think the scenarios are on the button and reflect similar situations that have happened here. I'm currently dealing with a time-wasting, nit-picking, non-working, non-productive, s-stirring excuse for a human being who really is not mentally well. The company he worked for paid him off to leave - lucky them. Unfortunately that's given him more time to be let loose 24/7. With this time he makes some grand counter-achievments of destroying anything or anyone in his path who have his measure. He beavers away looking up laws, freedom of information acts, data protection and anything he can get his evil, non-working hands on. What a sickner.
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