Ivorbiggun
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Talking to a bloke today who works on a farm a couple of mile from us, their going to try farming 5000 acres with 3 full time staff with students brought in for harvest. The worlds gone mad.
Things that would improve farm safety ?
- Thread starter Clive
- Start date
ollie989898
Member
I reckon that could be doable if you had the right staff and students involved.
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
As far as I'm concerned the safest thing to work at height on the farm would be a man cage on the telehandler. But my machine isn't LOLER'd so I can't do that, despite it being the safest option. Thats the thing, we don't have an 'Assess risk yourself and then do the safest thing based on your own assessment' regime we have a hybrid of that plus lots of 'laws' the HSE have made up entirely themselves. Ie HSE can both claim your risk assessment was wrong if an accident occurs, and prosecute, and if your paperwork is wrong still prosecute you even if an accident hasn't happened. Ergo its not risk assessment based at all. If it was it would be entirely outcome based - I assessed the risk, did the job and an accident didn't happen. Ergo it was safe.
After all my assessment of risk might not be yours, so whats the point of a H&S system that pretends to allow the individual to make their own assessment of risk but then measures those assessments against their own yardstick? Its basically saying 'You must assess risk yourself, but you must always come up with the answer that I've already thought of, but won't tell you what it is until after the event'.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
How many staff do you employ?
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
None. And I never will due to all this nonsense.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
Well, you have no legal obligation to write down your risk assessments.
I really would advise you to get a better understanding of what your obligations actually are, rather than what you think they are. It’s late, and I’ve been up lambing since early, so I haven’t energy to pick you precious post apart. But it’s mostly misunderstanding rather than fact, I’m afraid.
Happy to have dialogue again, either on this thread or private message. At the least, I’d advise spending some time on the HSE website, rather than other places.
ollie989898
Member
This is the biggest problem. Private enterprise understandably becomes hesitant to employ anyone because of the bureaucracy that is involved. And when the public sector employs someone they go overboard with rules and regulations and everyone wonders why the cost of it rockets and nothing gets done.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
Employment does bring responsibilities, and rightly so, but not necessarily bureaucracy. There are too many myths and misunderstandings out there, and in this thread, but please don’t suggest that HSE costs and expectations are any higher for one or two staff than they are for none. Until you get to (from memory) five employees, there is no need for extra HSE paperwork at all.
wanton dwarf
Member
I would have thought the worker would be covered by the farmers insurance as a part time worker.
wanton dwarf
Member
The more employees you have the more bureacracy that applies. For example pensions, more involved RT inspections, health & safety procedures, staff procedures.
Unless you are making a very healthy profit and your employees are paid significantly less than contractors .. it's not worth it.
- Location
- Huntingdon, UK
Why is your machine not LOLER'd? I was under the impression that it is a legal requirement.
ollie989898
Member
It's not just HSE paperwork though, is it? There have been several TFF contributors who have said in the past they don't employ anyone and wouldn't want the grief of doing so. I can understand the sentiment.
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
Its not LOLER'd because I don't use it to lift people with.......
Staged
No salary is guaranteed..... mine isn’t
Maybe a bad choice of words on my part. Is your income weather dependent? Amount you receive largely out of your control?
So do you drive all your tractors at 32kph... genuinely?
Why would I do that, when the limit is 40kph?
Mine ain’t but it’s dependant on other deadlines. My wife works in interiors. She has her own company. She employs 6. She has deadlines , she pays massive tax. She doesn’t service her own car. She also doesn’t dictate her profit. She sets her prices then fights for them. Nothing in life is guaranteed. A man platform cost what, a tank of spray. A roofer can be used while you farm. We can all find excuses why safety can’t be met.
Since when has limit been 40k?