Gary N's newest comments

John,

Every new building must be tested.

Usually the installation company will put a sticker on the main distribution board to show date of test and when it should be tested next.

This is also done on new houses, but they only need to be tested every 10 years.

Note for Tenants.
I have known instances where a new tenant moves in to a building taking out a new lease without been supplied electrical or gas test certificates and then when leaving has to have the tests done and any works required to comply with current legislation has to be paid for by the exiting tenant!!

Duration for tests should be as above or as required by your/landlords insurers.

"Some haulage bosses are pushing at the boundaries of legality"

So they are not breaking the law! They are working within it.

If it is wrong then the whole EU need to look at the drivers hours regulations and adjust them if required.
If the UK adjust their hours this will make foreign companies more competitive in the UK, not to mention the fuel price difference.
The government say that it would be difficult to implement a toll for foreign vehicles using the UK roads, WHY?
Germany and other European countries have the "Eurovignette" that foreign trucks have to purchase to use their roads, what is the problem in the UK.
We are an island!
A vehicle can only enter through one of our ports! When they dock record the registration and then charge them a fee for the number of days they are in the UK when they leave.
The government could make the ferry companies charge it along with the ferry cost. No admin costs for the government.

Companies are either breaking the law or not! If not then the unions need to address this to the government not make a sensational headline about companies who are working within the law.

Not sure if this would qualify for TUPE or not.

Company A has it own vehicles and employees drivers through an Agency to carry out its deliveries.

They are looking at disposing of their vehicles and getting an external company to do the deliveries.

Would the new company have to take on the Agency staff?

I have been on several sites and offshore and all sites and companies have their own rules. Now working in transport one of our drivers was refused entrance to a site as he had a green hard hat which there was used for First Aiders.

Colour does not affect the performance (assuming they are the same spec), but different colours can help in cases of emergency.

Common on some sites was Green for First Aiders, Red for Fire Wardens other staff and contractors White.

Makes sense as you can identify key persons quickly.

As mentioned above visitors wearing another colour I would say is more of a security measure. In Nuclear or other sites where visitors have to be accompanied a differnt colour would raise concerns if you were not accompanied.

Apprentices or not fully qualified personnel wearing a different colour would help a manager/supervisor to see if there were any qualified persons working on a section of track and if not, ensure inspection was full and complete. All this from just glancing at their heads.

Another instance where H&S is blamed rather than just saying it is a site or company rule. If you want to work on that site or for that company then you have to abide by their rules.

The minimum holiday for a full time worker is 28 days including Bank Holidays.
What your employees are entitled to depends on your contract wording. Is it as above or 28 days plus Bank Holidays?
So forget about Bank Holidays your workers are entitled to 28 days. If they don't work Monday then unless you pay them extra it is not a holiday.
Part time workers get pro-rata holidays.

There are some other threads on this site that explain it fully

Regards

Gary

We have cameras with audio recording in our vehicles. It records the road ahead and the voices in the vehicle.
This was a requirement of the insurance cover and they have supplied "Roadhawk" devices to try to eliminate claims which are not our fault.
I have asked the insurers and they say that it is ok, but reading through the ICO guidance (thanks Nigel) it seems that we may require visible signage inside and out and make sure all drivers and agency staff we sometimes employ to drive our vehicles know the devices are there and write a policy on their usage as well as informing the ICO?

Will I follow your point and agree, but is it WDH policy to not have anything hanging or stuck to the windows? Is it detailed in their driver policy and is this victimisation? Do others have beads or other religious signs hanging from their van mirrors?
If the cross has been hanging there for years, is that not acceptance by the employer that it is acceptable?

Do Wakefield District Housing ban other signs of faith or affiliation?
Vehicles can have several different religous signs. As Karen says other faiths display their flags, beads etc. Should a taxi be given a licence if it displays a sign of faith? Should we refuse to use it? Can you put a St Christopher in a vehicle?
Red Nose, fish shape, POPPYs?
WDH have not asked him to remove the cross for years and have now had one complaint. Is this proportionate?
Perhaps all signs of faith should be banned.

I have had several queries this year about holiday entitlement.
"The Government have given us an extra Bank Holiday" Yes they have. But they have not increased your annual holiday entitlement.
If your contract states 28 days including Bank Holidays, then you have 19 days this year and next (Golden Jubilee) to use as you wish, not 20.
If your contract states 20 days plus Bank Holidays then you have gained an extra day for these two years.

Will anyone want to become a manager or send people into a burning building to rescue persons believed trapped?

How many investigations are we (the tax payer) going to pay for? Fire Service, Police, CPS and HSE. All investigating and costing us, to now prosecute the council.

All costs and final fines are all coming out of the same pot and Warwickshire County Council will have to cut more jobs or raise incoming funds to pay for it.

What happened to the owner of the building and the person/s who told the fire brigade there were people in the building?

If it is a fluorescent tube even though you may have the lowest wattage the light levels can be changed by the tube type. T5 (most energy efficient) rather than T8 and maybe white, warm white, daylight, etc.
Have a look at a catalogue for tubes to find the lowest lux for type.

Hope this helps.

Gary

Hi Diarmuid,

I work for a Haulage company with 50 vehicles. Varying from vans to artic tractor units.
All vehicles have trackers fitted which give us basic information. Ignition on/off and position. This is an old system which was implemented to confirm vehicle arrival and departure from customer sites.
We have had some demo vehicles which had the telematic feedback and we are now looking to fit telematic/tracker units to our new vehicles coming on line soon.
With a 44 tonne truck the average mpg can be a little as 8. With the telematic data and education of the driver we saw this increase above 10 with the demo units. With another 1p duty per litre on fuel this makes a big difference.
As all users are lone workers, tracking is part of the H&S requirement and proves unit location for breakdown recovery, speeding fines, congestion charges and helps the traffic staff guide a lost driver to their location.
As the telematic devices now can have tracker, telematics, sat-nav, sms and voice calls, maybe combining them as a H&S requirement (H&S gets blamed for everything else) will overcome any objections.

As we know the employer is responsable for their employee's while driving and therefore location and driving habits while at work are of concern to the employer.

Just to clarify a point made.
Wiring the portable appliance into a fixed fused spur does not transfer it to a fixed wiring test.
It is still classed as a portable appliance, just harder to PAT test. (eg Toilet Hand Drier or kettle in hotel room)
When counting the items for testing you need to remember that a computer workstaion can have several test items. Mains Lead, computer, monitor, power supply, mains lead, printer & power supply's for this also. This can be eight tests for the computer, monitor and printer.
Test frequency depends on use and the RA for that item.
A cordless kettle in a canteen area needs to be checked more frequently than a computer sat at a desk that does not get moved. If you move a piece of equipment from office > office or a different area then it needs to be re-tested and the RA and test frequency will need to be re-assesed.
Test frequency is something to be identified in your RA and your insurers will normally request 2 - 3 years PAT testing on computer equipment in an office environment.

Hope this helps.

The larger, heavier, wider the vehicle the higher the risk.

Due to the increased risk the driver/operator has to take more training.

Cyclist - none
Motorbike - Test and theory.
Bigger Bike - Another test and theory
Car - Test and Theory
Car with trailer - ?
7.5T - Test, Theory & DCPC (Driver Certificate of Professional
Competence)
18T - Test and Theory
Artic 44T - Test and Theory

EU law now requires a Bus or HGV driver to complete 35 hours training every five years to get his DCPC card. What other vehicle sector does this?

As with all operators of any plant, machinery or vehicle, even when qualified there are some who ignore the rules of the road and undertake, speed, drive/ride without regard for any other users of the space, irrespective of the vehicle they drive.

Perhaps all road users should be given training or at least told about all vehicles on the roads and there risk to all users.

The roads are a multi-use space for vehicles and pedestrians and we cannot get rid of any of the users, so risks are managed. Paths, cycle routes, road, pedestrian crossings, etc.

In all sectors there are people who ignore the risks from other users or are completely oblivious to the risks.

More training for all, not just HGV drivers.

Hi Irene,

The HGV driver even delivers the push bikes to the shop for anyone to buy!! :-))

You mention Johnny/Jenny Foreigner and their non-compliance. I did mention some figures about fines imposed by VOSA on the 15th September.

Since May 28th 2009 VOSA have had powers to stop any HGV and issue a fixed penalty or immobilise the vehicle. This has generated £3.2 million so far.
It would be excellent if this money was solely used to increase officers and make the roads even safer, but as with speed camera revenue this money is routed straight to the Treasury.

Lets hope VOSA does not decide it is too expensive to police these new powers and cancels it.

@ Gareth There does seem to be a theme. How come soo many people do not see something as big as a HGV??

7 car pile up, 1 HGV. I think this shows how many car drivers do not give enough room to stop or are just not paying attention. They are much more nimble and an incident can be avoided easier than if a HGV needs to stop suddenly or swerve.

You mention incidents for one day that involved HGV's, but was it the fault of the HGV Driver?

@ Chris :-))

That's probably right. No mention of brakes!! As long as there is enough tread on the sole of your shoe or the toe is not worn through.

VOSA can now issue Graduated Fixed Penalties to all HGV's This came into force last May which has earned £3.2 M in the first 9 months for VOSA.

This is where after a HGV is stopped and inspected, VOSA can issue a fixed penalty from £60 - £200 (per offence), depending on severity. They can also clamp the vehicle if the fault or driver hours are too severe.

Below is some recent figures for foreign trucks arriving at UK ports % and their percentage of GFP's.
Polish drivers paid the highest amount £245,880 and account for 14.6% of foreign vehicles arriving at UK ports.

Country % in UK % of GFPs
Poland 14.6 8.2
Irish 2.5 7.6
France 8.1 1

This shows the top payer in £, the highest offender and the most compliant.

Ports have in the past issued free freznel lenses to foreign trucks to be fitted on their passenger window to try to reduce the blindspot area.
This did have an effect on incidents, but I am not sure if we (UK taxpayer) are still supplying these FOC. Perhaps it should be made law, like the other mirrors.
Any truck that now goes for an MOT must have a new standard of mirror to give a wider view. Newer trucks have a mirror at the front as well. This is not retrospective for older vehicles.
New rules, more training, more mirrors, new wider angle mirrors and more regulations been discussed for HGV's.
What rules and regulations do the cyclist adheer to?

One actual occurence from me.

Last night driving home along a busy single carriageway A road in a 60mph zone, I saw a cyclist coming towards me around a bend down a hill on the correct side of the road with NO HANDS on the handlebars. His arms were stretched up into the air and then he crossed them across his chest. Unbelievable!!

This was not some spotty teenager, this was a 30 - 40 year old man.

Behind him was another cyclist riding correctly and a que of cars waiting to overtake them. Irrate at the lack of respect for other road users I am sure.

What would of happened and who would of been blamed if I had been in a HGV and the wind from my vehicle had knocked him off his bike, due to his lack of control and he had been killed?

@ Brenda

HGV drivers have to take extra training to move from a car to a rigid vehicle then a further test to move up to an artic. People who take their test now also have to do theory training before been given a licence.
Exisiting drivers have to complete 35 hours theory training by 2012 and will continue to have to complete 35 hours training every 5 years to hold their professional licence to drive (CPC Training).
As with most categories, cyclist, motorbike, car, white van man, truck driver, in the main people are courteous and give way and follow the highway code, but there are so many that are rude, obstructive and believe they own the road.
HGV drivers have to comply with driving time directive and working time directive for working and driving time, what other sector has soo many rules and regulations governing and controlling it.
In an magazine they did an experiment with an airline pilot, a bus drive, a cyclist, a train drive and a caravan hauling pensioner behind the wheel of a 44 tonne artic truck. At the test track they had to do several different manoeuvres.
"Cyclist *** was shocked by the truck's blindspot and wishes every cyclist could have a similar truck driving experience. "I'm convinced this would dramatically reduce the number of cyclist fatalities that occur on our streets"

Perhaps the call should be for SOME training for cyclist's!

Do they still do the cycling profeciency test? This used to be voluntary. Perhaps it should be mandatory for all school children and include presentations showing the dangers of cycling.