Red Carded from site!!!!!!!!!!

[E.K Taper]

I got Red carded from a new housing site in Glasgow last week for using a lemonade crate to stand on ! Ibeen using one for 15years on site and no probs then H&S comes on and papps me right off the job!
What do you guys use as scaffold/hop-up etc?
Stilts are not allowed on site either, metal workbenches are a good bit higher so I almost took my eye out with my trowel -H&S take note- and they even frown upon step ladders now!
I may be 6ft but its a bit short to reach the 2.4m ceiling comfortably, know what I mean?
Is it just me, or are the pen-pushers trying to make things harder for us?

[crack filler]

I miss my crate too use a metal bench now but only 5 8" not banging my head

[amestaper]

Im 6 foot 1 and have problems with aluminium benches too. I never eat in the site canteens so always have a crate handy just for seating at lunchtime.

Just for reference, and I in no way dispute the latest and greatest H&S procedures imposed upon us mere manual skivvies trying to earn an honest living. I used one every day for over 15 years and had no accidents yet friends who have used tressels, battens, scaffolds, stepladders and aluminium benches hop ups etc have had broken bones galore.

[turrican_007]

Health & Safety Policy Manual Document Reference H.P.Q.A. 003
Revision 16

10/8/09

Under no circumstances are makeshift platforms or hop ups such as milk crates be used.
Ladders / Step Ladders
Ladders or Stepladders are not to be used as a working platform unless it is reasonably practicable to use alternative means, such as Podium Scaffolds, Mobile Towers or Temporary Stairs.
Ladders shall only be used primarily for access and only to be used to do light work of short duration.They shall be secured near their upper resting place. Ladders should be used at an angle of 75 degrees (1:4). Persons using ladders shall maintain 3 points of contact i.e. two legs and a hand at all times.
Where used as access onto a working platform, ladders must protrude at least 1 meter above that platform.

Ladders and steps must be regularly inspected to ensure that they are in good condition and free from defects

[TonyM]

Check out the no stilts rule. I'm sure there was someone on here recently that said they would provide a risk assessment for stilts, and that a lot of site agents say they are banned but aren't. Ask to see it in writing that they are banned. I use an alloy trestle on 2.4 stuff and a minimax scaffold for anything higher.......and my stilts of course.

[E.K Taper]

Thanks I will check the stilts are allowed

[saleen836]

H&S walked in to a house I was taping a couple of months ago and spotted my crate, immediately started on about how they are illegal to use yada yada yada, I interupted him to point out my metal workbench and the crate was merely used for putting my bucket of muck on to reduce the amount of bending I had to do!
The H&S chap mumbled under his breath and walked out, the site manager came back in 5 mins later smiling and said "I will have to remember that one!" funny how the h&s chap didn't even worry the workbench was a domestic one bought from Wickes for peanuts.

[matt]

I've had the argument about stilts.
Just get it on the risk assesment and sign it.
The fact that YOU are responsible for your own health and safety is always a good argument, if i thought it wasn't safe I wouldn't do it.
I also said to a site manager that if you are going to fall from the stilts you get more time to put your hands out to protect yourself before you hit the ground because you are so high up !! (he didn't believe me)

[mancman]

i work on a bovis site and to say that they're a bit keen is an understatement. hop ups, podium scaffolds and stilts are all banned and the onlty thing we can work on are normal scaffolds and MEWPS. its a bit of a ball ache.

[amestaper]

Who's bright idea was it to create a standard ceiling height of between 2.35 - 2.40 metres anyway?

[matt]

i work on a bovis site

Best of luck to you.
They jobs are ok if its a good hourly rate and they're the ones who are paying for it!

[Deck]

Lads, I had to laugh at some of the postings. I too liked the old lemonade crate! I tended to stay away from plastic milk crates as they were a bit flimsy and tended to collapse but the lemonade crate was the dogs bollocks. However things have moved on. On the question of using stilts I spoke to an inspector with the HSE a while back and he said that as long as you can prove that you have been trained/are competent then they would have no problems with their use. I for one cannot find any place to get trained but if you have your risk assessment completed with the controls as I mentioned being covered then who can pull you up?

[DMC]

The sites i am currently working on dont mind me using a crate,as long as its out of site when H&S appear.

[turrican_007]

The sites i am currently working on dont mind me using a crate,as long as its out of site when H&S appear.

Classic.

[secret squirrel]

I have a method statement for stilts somewhere if you need one, however does not matter if they are allowed or not it is up the main contractor rules, I worked on one site where you had to wear safety sunglasses during the summer when sunny and walking outside - they made it clear you want to work here these are the rules.

[amestaper]

I will have a copy of that stilts risk assessment please.

Never heard the one about the sunglasses though, thats a legendary tale.

[secret squirrel]

As mentioned

[DMS]

sur bench and walboard make fantastic hop ups, with extendable legs which go from 14-30" they are also broad enough to cut plasterboard on and have a step which id designed to rest a full sheet of board on before hanging ceilings, they are 4 feet long 9" wide, and collapse down to 5" depth for transport, i have used mine on 2 Kier sites (which banned everything else including ladders) without a problem. only draw back is they are around £210.00. worth every penny though, at some point if the business keeops growing i will get some in stock on an ocean shipment order which will bring the price down, until then...

[Partitioners.co.uk]

Hi Guys, To be red carded there and then is disgraceful and the H&S bod should be given a slap for acting like an over zealous tax inspector. A friendly warning should have been more than enough , and if he sees you again then kick you off site if he feels that strongly about it. This shock treatment that is dished out nowadays is rediculous and makes me angry just thinking about it as most of these H&S people are living in another world for sure..

One thing these H&S people will never understand so long as they are having to learn from a book or by doing a part time quick pass university course (which is a joke) to be told what is H&S law, is that a tradesman has natural inbuilt skills that cannot be learnt from a book, these natural skills are something that are totally underestimated and misunderstood by these people who in my opinion are only being given these jobs to keep the unemployment levels down but really they should be given 6 months hard labour at £150 a week full time onsite before they are even allowed to even think about working as a H&S rep, plus they should also need to learn just how easy it is to use stilts and fully understand dished out method statements PLUS in that 6 months, be required by law to figure out just which milk crate is the best for long term site work and then give crate makers a golden handshake out of their own pocket.
And that is being lenient I think. :-)

[E.K Taper]

I have managed to find a safe crate for Tapers to use on site.
The Safe Step from Safety Platforms is a similar size to the old 'dogs bollocks' lemonade crate. Health & Safety are fine with it too, and you can print off a statement of conformity from the website just in case an agent starts stuttering and pointing at it!

www.safetyplatforms.co.uk

Price is £14.50 exVAT
Add £10 delivery and it comes in at around £28.50 but even if you buy 10 the delivery price is £10