Hell-th and Safety.

[bon3yard]

I was wandering around the wonderful Imperial War Museum today ruminating on the madness of conflict and wondering just how itchy those rubbish uniforms our boys had to face down The Hun in were when out of the gloom a bumptious security guard who resembled Col.Blimp Informed me that my wearing of an I-pod contravened Health and Safety regulations and that I should remove the offending article forthwith. Baffled, I crinkled my brow in a disbelieving fashion and echoed "Health and safety?", his stony face stared unblinkingly and he echoed my echoed echo "Health and Safety" in an officious monotone. I showed a grudging willing by taking out one of my earphones and stalked off in nonchalant schoolboy stylee. Since when did Health and safety become a cover-all term for any piece of groundless nonsense ass covering behaviour? Hitler would have loved The HSE. Anyone else had any similar experiences?

[Marmora Man]

By coincidence I have just attended a Safety For Senior Executives Health & Safety training day. Your man - undoubtedly badly dressed in a polyester Action Man style security outfit was completely in the wrong.

Health and Safety is about assessing risk and taking appropriate and reasonable action to avoid unnecessary risk to employees and the public. Wearing an iPod cannot be covered under that umbrella. I recommend complaining to the Museum - which is, after all, dedicated to men and women that took real risks.

A similar problem I encountered was discussed at the following

Link

[SeanMacGabhann]

MM is spot on here. It's not H&S which is the problem - more often than not it's some jobsworth's excuse to be "the big man"

See also: EU legislation

[Brendan]

It is all going to send the human race into a downward spiral of negative evolution.

Most of us are unfortunately not smart enough to learn from other people?s mistakes. Therefore in order to progress we need to get bumped on the head a few times, slip on the odd banana skin, and get stuck in one or two airtight chambers while they slowly fill up with poisonous gas and a villain divulges his diabolical plans in a cackling monologue. You know that sort of thing.

Otherwise it is not so much a case of ?Only the smart survive? but more a case of ?Everyone survives but everyone is stupid?.

So we end up with a world full of dumb people who breed another generation of even dumber people. They do the same etc. Next thing you have a society where popular music has reverted back to its most primitive rhythms, people will buy anything if it is in a sparkly enough package, language has devolved to a vague combination of monosyllabic grunts, politicians are elected on personality rather than policy, people will worship whoever the television tells them to, quality is denoted by a label rather than actual quality, the youths aspirations of social rebellion are not a reasoned out intellectual statement against an unjust status quo but rather a frightened malaise of reaction brought about by the lack of self respect, achieving fame is seen as more important than actually achieving and you can?t wear your i-pod in the war museum.

Personally I blame Thatcher, the NHS, immigration and Ghandi.

[Sandperson]

As an employee of the museum I can only apologise for the rather random nature of this persons actions. As with all staff you get the majority who are nice and civilised and you get a minority (you hope) of people who are a bit of a jobs worth. Even we, as staff, sometimes get a hard time from certain members of the security staff and some of them can be very grumpy. All I can say in our defence is that it might have had to do with being able to hear any security warnings/alarms. As we have had a new system fitted in the last few weeks, with the usual teething problems, it has put a lot of the staff on edge. I hope that it won't stop you (or others) coming to the museum which I believe is one of the best in the capital. I am very proud to work for the museum and I'd hate you to come away withthe wrong impression.

[Moos]

Brendan's case is entirely proved by domestic cats. Lacking any sort of challenge and much actual danger in their lives they have evolved to the point where their brains are something like 75% of the size of their wild cousins. An exact analogy with the human condition? Hell, why not. ;-)

[lozzyloz]

After recently having my allotment application approved, Southwark council have now requested i attend an H&S training session on 'How to put on Wellington Boots on safely'. I'm hoping that if I receive my certificate (which will be mounted proudly in my shed) they'll fast track me onto the advanced theory Wheelbarrow pushing course.

[Brendan]

I found the ?Which side of the garden shears to hold? course invaluable.

EDITED: because I carnt spell shears.

[lozzyloz]

I failed that one. I now have to do the "Which side of the garden shears to hold with 3 fingers" course.

[bon3yard]

Interesting theological posit Brendan and one I happen to share, its an absolute miracle we've progressed as a species to the point that we have.

No slur on the Museum itself was intended Sandperson as its the only one in London where I can go more than once every 6 months and still be enraptured, I love this place. The alarm thing did occur to me but What with the standard volume limiting(no doubt another H&S requirement)integral to all I-Pods I could have heard a rat fart with little difficulty.

Oh, and I did send a rather bemused sounding e-mail to the IWM headquarters in Lambeth.

[spadetownboy]

lozzyloz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I failed that one. I now have to do the "Which

> side of the garden shears to hold with 3 fingers"

> course.

hoe,hoe,hoe.

[Brendan]

No, no hoeing is a completely different course.

[mockney piers]

see also overly officious PCSOs telling man with camera to stop taking photos "because of terrorism".

As I often say, 90% of everything is shit, this is particularly true of people, especially when given a uniform and a leeeetle bit of power.

I say let's get all of East Dulwich down to the Imperial War Museum and have a 'playing in the tanks and planes' flash mob to really give that guard something to get irate about.

[Marmora Man]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> As I often say, 90% of everything is shit, this is

> particularly true of people, especially when given

> a uniform and a leeeetle bit of power.

For French speakers - try this website Life is Shit

[SeanMacGabhann]

Brendan's quote reminded me of this - the intro to an overlooked, flawed gem of a film

Idiocracy

[Brendan]

lol. That looks good. I must give it a watch.

[bon3yard]

Very good, at least we have the capacity to laugh at our shortcomings.

[Brendan]

Of course we do but only after carrying out a risk assessment and having the proper training.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Slight aside but, T E Lawrence's motorbike is gorgeous, and worth a look at in the IWM.

[Sandperson]

Yes, but why is it in the entrance to the cinema? Noone seems to be able to answer that and I work in the film dept.

[david_carnell]

Without being geeky I would imagine the motorcycle in question (a Brough SS100) is actually the one from the David Lean film which is why it is outside the cinema rather than TE Lawrence's actual motorcycle he died riding which I think is in the national Motorcycle Museum in Beaulieu.

I could be wrong of course and happy to stand corrected.

[bon3yard]

Oi! Take it to the Trainspotters thread!

[Brendan]

Just got back from the pub and had a wee epiphany on the way home.

Twas about what we were talking about on this thread and I realised that NOFX* had inadvertently written a very poignant song about this topic.

This song was inspired by the republicans grabbing power in the states almost ten years ago now. But I think it could be a fair reflection of the fascists getting all jolly-hockey-sticks about their mighty heroic buy-?lecition wins on this little insular island at the moment.

*One of my favourite punk bands even though they?re a bunch of idiots?

But I don?t want to get into that.

[giggirl]

I vote we pull together a posse and take ourselves off to the IWM with our i-Pods? They'll never take us alive.

[LibraCarr]

Hi,

you are right, give a person a uniform and they will think they are it. I have to laugh at the various uniforms on Lordship Lane.

The Security guard in Iceland, he followed a suspect around the store, them let him exit the shop without paying for the swag! the people queing in front of me were gobsmacked.

I go in there for pint cans of Stella Artois ?1 a can.

The Community Warden's, they go round in three's and despite being given new redesigned uniforms still manage to look crap. I have never ever seen them giving someone a tug for a misdeamenour.

The Southern Train Ticket guy. He is a classic Hitler. I wanted a after 9.30 ticket at 9.20. He refused, but caved in at 9.25. It is strange because you can buy a cheap ticket the day before and are advised not to use it until 9.30! He also gets annoyed if you question the fact that the office is advertised at being open from 6.15 but never is.

Regards,

Libra Carr.