Health and Stupidity!

[mailee]

My friend has just attended his Daughters passing out of University in Leeds. He was as you can imagine a proud Father looking forward to taking photographs of his Daughter in her cap and gown. This was not to be though as the Health and Safety Exec has ruled that no caps can now be hired by the students due to an accident where one of the students was hit in the eye by one after they were launched into the air! She could however buy her own cap for £30 and then there was nothing to stop her wearing it and throwing it into the air!! :roll: It looks like the end of a tradition that has gone on for many years due to the crazies of Health and
Stupidity again. :roll:

 

[Ironballs]

I thought passing out of Leeds Uni was something that was accomplished at the end of the Otley Run

 

[newt]

What is this country coming to, I am starting to become genuinely embarrassed.

 

[MikeG.]

I'm not sticking up for them, but the Health and Safety executive would not have been the people to ban the hiring of mortar boards. That just isn't what they do, whatever people think.

Undoubtedly it is far simpler...........either the uni took fright and banned them, or their insurance company upped the premium as a result of a claim for the eye injury the year before, forcing the decision on the uni.

If the HSE had taken the decision, (which would be outside their powers in my understanding), all unis would be in the same position, and I can tell you that they aren't.
-
-
Right, thats the pedantry out of the way. Which pettyfogging jobsworth went home proudly to his wife and told her that he'd just banned the hire of mortar boards at Leeds to improve the health & safety of the nation? Why didn't he organise to have every tree in Britain cut down at the same time, because when I was a lad I had a scratched eyeball from a twig?

Mike

 

[newt]

Good points Mike.

 

[Night Train]

I have an eye injury from the square end of a steel rule. No one has banned them.

 

[OPJ]

This sounds like a contender for Myth of the Month! :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

Edinburgh University students don't wear mortar boards..probelm solved :wink: - Rob

 

[RogerS]

This sounds like a contender for Myth of the Month! :wink:

I read that link and followed on through to "Myth: Health and safety is a threat to village fetes". The content of the webpage and the weak attempt to dispel this 'alleged' myth is a myth in itself. Their argument simply doesn't hold water.

 

[MikeG.]

I have an eye injury from the square end of a steel rule. No one has banned them.

No, but when I bought my last retracting steel tape, there we instructions attached, with eye protection highlighted! Honestly, do they expect anyone to put goggles on to measure something?

Mike

 

[RogerS]

I have an eye injury from the square end of a steel rule. No one has banned them.

No, but when I bought my last retracting steel tape, there we instructions attached, with eye protection highlighted! Honestly, do they expect anyone to put goggles on to measure something?

Mike

Yes plus Kevlar vest, helmet, Kevlar gloves and trousers!

Seriously and I'm not sure that I should be telling you all this but...actualy they do have a point. I was working on the renovation project and it was a hot day. I know..a rare occurrence..but it was pretty hot. All I was wearing were my gym shorts. I'd just measured out a length of timber about 3m long and hit the release button to let the tape return. It did. With a vengeance. The tip of the metal tape overshoot with the momentum and hit the end of my todger. My eyes watered, I can tell you. So maybe eye protectors are not such a silly idea?

 

[turnerbc]

Hi ,
As a former HSE inspector in the Yorkshire Region I can tell you its all load of amusing garbage. HSE gets blamed for all sorts of things but having checked with former colleagues the HSE NEVER made a ruling about mortar board etc .Just another over zealous safety officer covering his backside and blaming HSE. Why not have a look at this website if you want to see information about lots of other things HSE was blamed for in the Press.


http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/index.htm

Regards, Barry

 

[Ironballs]

Every Christmas at work on the last working day before the break everyone generally takes it a bit easy and some parents bring their kids in. This year we had a note round the week before to say no kids this year, apparently they wouldn't be covered on insurance and it was health and safety etc etc. Everyone was quite disgruntled and couldn't see the issue and we all believed it was really to do with noses being off the grindstone for a few minutes and the management being unhappy about that.

What was interesting to note was that in the next issue of our staff magazine (a rivetting read incidentally) our German colleagues were allowed their kids in and the parents had arranged for one of them to dress up as Santa and Santa dished out presents the parents had bought - what we normally do at our place. Funny how their safety wasn't compromised....

If you want to crack the whip, come on out and crack it, don't hide behind made up H&S rules

 

[Anonymous]

I find this hard to believe - our undergrads, postgrads and PhDs all graduated during the past couple of weeks and all had hired gowns and caps (some PhDs choose to buy them) - I have many photos of myself with smiling students wearing their mortar boards!

Thus, this is not the Health and Safety executive, but some silly person at leeds university.

 

[Setch]

So maybe eye protectors are not such a silly idea?

Hmmm, japs eye protection?

 

[yo_chuci]

Hmmm, japs eye protection?

yeah.. of the guy who brought the rule in...lol

 

[ste_5150]

Seriously and I'm not sure that I should be telling you all this but...actualy they do have a point. I was working on the renovation project and it was a hot day. I know..a rare occurrence..but it was pretty hot. All I was wearing were my gym shorts. I'd just measured out a length of timber about 3m long and hit the release button to let the tape return. It did. With a vengeance. The tip of the metal tape overshoot with the momentum and hit the end of my todger. My eyes watered, I can tell you. So maybe eye protectors are not such a silly idea?

Anyone else wondering if that's really how an incident with a tape measure and that particular appendage happened..... :wink: :lol: