WTF is up with all this health and safety crap in the UK?

Trouble is you can't have it both ways; legal protection for workers and then ad-hoc exemptions on the basis of 'common sense', a quality for which there is no real definition. H&S may occasionally throw up absurd examples but remember that these laws had to be fought for to protect workers from greedy and unscrupulous bosses who were willing to put others' lives at risk for their own personal gain and that, in America, under the Reagan and Bush administrations these safe guards were often removed so as to increase 'productivity' and 'competetiveness'; code words for increasing the profits of large private companies and enriching the already rich. The inevitable consequence was a rise in industrial injuries and deaths.
It's also worth noting how long this 'Labour' government has held out against a meaningful law on corporate murder or manslaughter. That H&S is widely seen as a problem, a nuisance or a farce, rather than a flawed but essential protection for ordinary people, is a triumph for the propaganda efforts of the corporate media in Britain and another example of how class war is not just an empty phrase.

the trouble is you can. Simply have a basic blanket HSE policy with additional PPE available ofr those working in different situations. All it needs is an HSE officer who's willing to get off his arse and do some fucking work by undertaking more than one risk assessment. God forbid even a dynamic risk assessment that changes along with the advancement of works. Then all you need to do is have your workforce slightly better trained and get them to sign a better disclaimer. The current HSE inductions are utter cock. They usually go like this-

-Have you worked on a site before?
-Um.... maybe....no, yes
-Ok, these are the regulations and all of our risk assessments and guidelines (fires through 700 page powerpoint presentation in 30 secs). Get it?
-Um....no.
-Well if if you don't you can't work!
-Ok then, yes I get it.
-Good, sign here.

I went to get an HSE ticket so I could work in HSE myself but left the course after the first day because of how balls it was. They were basically all rubbing each other off because of how easy they had it.

Yeh I more or less agree that the system could be improved (which system couldn't?) but the broad tabloid-style dismissal of H&S (from some people, not from you) is depressing.
Now, tell me more about this rubbing each other off. Are places still available?

Apparently if you head over to Battersea Power Station you can get a CSCS card for free. Bound to be a bit of frottage going on over there.

I agree with all that, Will, but exercising common sense where full body armour isn't required (still chuckling inside at stevo_com's example) doesn't remove the legal protection. In more dangerous occupations, there would be nothing ridiculous about wearing such protective gear, but there are definitely occasions where such vigilance can be relaxed.

Oliver you just missed the point. More and more it is becoming obvious that the use of common sense is being removed from the public.

That's strange. Do you mean that it's now the upper classes that are becoming a bit common?

Yeh I more or less agree that the system could be improved (which system couldn't?) but the broad tabloid-style dismissal of H&S (from some people, not from you) is depressing.

I watched a tv program about H&S inspectors, did anyone see that?
They were nice guys, really just looking out for everyones best interests.
Right at the end they showed one of them reading the daily mail, which was saying 'these H&S jobsworths were the ones at belson doing the gassing just cos they were told too' and i've never seen a guy look so upset. Comparing them to nazi ss is a bit much.

Comparing them to nazi ss is a bit much.

Thats a bit over the top, innit?

Jeeez all these Yanks complaining, if they don't like it well then f*** off :o))))

Fucking foreigners..

Fucking foreigners..

Fucking Hipsters from Ealing..........

Hipsters my name.. not my nature..

Fucking foreigners..

First midgets now foreigners? Where are your standards?!

Dunno.. bloody immigrants probably stole them..

Fosters drinkers my name.. and my nature..

Fixed........

Hipsters my name.. not my nature..

Yeah, but your 'nurture'.

Holy fuck, I'm trying to narrow things down to a shortlist of about 10 from 194 job applications. You would not believe how many people appear to confuse Equal Opportunities with Health & Safety. It's a bit like shortlisting Stewart Lee's gran, FFS.

Surely, then, you can simply discard the applications of those who have made this error, reducing your tasks complexity?

Spelling mistakes / illiterates >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Coffee Stains >>>>>>>>>>>>
Chancers, weapons, whoppers etc >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

should give you +/- 10 Normals

Equal Health & Opportunities Safety innit.

Equine Health & Safety is vitally impotent to this ounce grate gnashing.

Surely, then, you can simply discard the applications of those who have made this error, reducing your tasks complexity?

Yes, of course, but sometimes that still involves scanning megalithic pages of text in order to spot that mistake in the first place. I have a fucking 1500 page pdf to work through - thank fuck the original 7 day deadline for shortlisting (thanks HR, you cunts) has now been extended due to an original panel member 'suddenly not being able to attend ' after they got a chance to look through the applicant pack.

Spelling mistakes / illiterates >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Coffee Stains >>>>>>>>>>>>
Chancers, weapons, whoppers etc >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

should give you +/- 10 Normals

No coffee stains - it's an electronic application process. Obviously I'd love to crush people's dreams based on their inability to use written English impeccably, but it's not about me. A chancer with initiative has as decent a chance of getting this role as all the more traditionally suitable applicants.

It is starting to look like ~10 though, as per usual. Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the interviews...

Yes, of course, but sometimes that still involves scanning megalithic pages of text in order to spot that mistake in the first place. I have a fucking 1500 page pdf to work through - thank fuck the original 7 day deadline for shortlisting (thanks HR, you cunts) has now been extended due to an original panel member 'suddenly not being able to attend ' after they got a chance to look through the applicant pack.

run spell check?