Comments by Phil Lemon

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

It very much depends on how3 much the employer want's this person/people.

There areguments for multilingual evacuatiobn signs, i was in a hospital in Spain over the weekend, whilst most of the signage was in Spanish, emergency signage was in Spanish, English and German as these languages cover the major populations in the area.

Closer to home, street signage in the Brick Lane area is in at leat two languages. THere are some building contractors that will employ foremen who speak both english and another (Polish etc)

If an employer is able to find the skills that they need from EU nationals, it may make business sense to provide information and advice in a language(s) that are understood

English builders being employed in Germany or Spain some years ago, it's the nature of the world, economic migration and integration

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

call me cynical, but..... one instance i heard about was a lady who notified the company that she was 6 months pregnant a month after she joined the company, claiming she did not know that she was pregnant before this point

I understand that it can go unnoticed for some time on occasion, but....

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

In addition to my previous comment

I have always found that being open and up front about any medical issues/mobility problems i have has always paid off as long as you present any positive sides.

But, if you are going into an intrerview, be prepared and have the answers and arguments to support your case before you go in. Do not try to bluff or avoid the issues as they are bound to surface at some point.

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

In general, i see more company's that are cutting staff numbers to the bone and expecting, demanding in some cases more from their employees.

Added to this peer culture in office environments with early start and late finnish, are we any closer to a work/life ballance than we were in the early 1900's.

Senior management and shareholders demand their kilo of flesh, in some cases with VAT

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

As a responsible employer, you should have an H&S policy for this amount of people and, I think that there should be specific mention of out workers if the majority of your staff are such.

For this many people, it does not need to be big, but it would be clever!

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

'is diabetes a dissability' ; Yes, according to the DWP
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/employers/dda/who_covered.asp
and is it cronic; Yes, 'an illness or problem persisting for a long time'

It is the diabetics responsibility to look after themselves, but when you employ them and now know about their ciondition, you and they have to work together to manage the now known specific risk to them which they and you should address appropriately. As long as the person manages their condition appropriately, there should be very little risk, if they do not/can not manage their condition, then is the time to refer them either to their GP or through an occupational health assessment to ensure that you are managing the risks appropriately.

As a First Aider I would want to know if there were people with conditions which if there was a problem and it was identified early a life could be saved. It does NOT mean that you have to wear a bell around your neck but the right people should i believe be told. First Aiders, should 'i believe' be told about anyone (with their consent o0f course) who has an illness or condition that;
can be treated easily if the symptoms present and are recognized early
would need specific treattment
could potentially endanger the first aider or others
This means that they are better able to help them and protect themselves if anything should happen

If i were a diabetic (and both my parents are) i would want my local first aiders to know so they are aware of the signs, especially if recently diagnosed when levels are likely to be fluctuating

if someone comes in for interview in a wheelchair, or they are carrying a white stick (i am emphasising here for those that need it) you know that they may have accessibility issues which may need to be addressed within your workplace depending on what has already been done. If someone has a degenerative condition, MS for instance, they may not currently have issues which need to be addressed, but they may develop them in time. In the same way that a person with diabetes may not have any accessibility issues when they start work with you but there is the potential for them to develope. This is where they could be helped to stay in the workplace, one of the foundations of the DDA being to improve access for the disabled not omnly to goods and services but work also.

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Desmond

I apreciate your points
I am FULLY aware of the wealth of skills and knowledge of those who are 'differently able' or disabled having issues myself, with family menbers and friends. I would not presume to know everything about other peoples disability. The experts i have on their diability are themselves.
I consider it is part of my role in the company to help those with additional life challenges to fullfil their potential by clearing the hurdles and making this workplace accessible to them. I have always tried to be solution lead and have actively encouraged the recruitment of people with disabilities.

I am consulting as widly as possible to get a resolution to this issue - with the Brigade, the person concerned and this forum and more.

It is important to look at all of the issues, not just the disability. The legislation and regulations surrounding the workplacethe skills and knowledge ofthose involved mean that someone has to coordinate the task identified - That is where i come in

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Sheena
I have considered this, in brief, we occupy 6 floors of an 12 story building and have floors 4-9. To change the layout of our lowest floor (total refurb) and move the 65+ people along with their furniture from 9 to 4 and replicate the requirements of the 4th on the 9th to accommodate that 50+ including training facilities and equipment and move them was one of the considerations. whilst this is an option, i do not think that it is practical in business terms.
Other floors below the 4th
Ground floor- Occupied by landlord and canteen
1st Floor - Occupied by another company
2nd and 3rd - Currently vacant but again would require total refit and move, considerable cost and disruption to the business.

Whilst i understand the concept of desk mobility and all of our pc profiles are mobile these days, this person works as part of a team of 60+ and i would still be faced with maybe slightly less of the same problem if this person were moved to the 4th. If it was me (i work in a team of 1) i could find a desk on the 4th floor tomorrow and work from there, but it would still be 4 floors

Devil's advocate says: The cost of life can not be measured!
But i have to look at all the options, i have to put a business case for the £100k++ that any refit and disruption would cost the business against programming a lift or training and supply of Evac chair or other ways of getting this person safely out of the building......along with finding other options

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Mark
have you considered an occupational health assessment which, along with assurances to the party concerned that you are trying to help and not move them out may help you both to assess any condition and gain professional medical advice on how you proceed.

in the mean time, start assesssing the egress possibilities against your environment.

Failing to do something now that you have noted it could i think be construed as avioiding taking the necessary steps

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Thank yo all for your comments so far

Anne - Yes, i had considered this aspect, unfortunately, it is not practical to relocate this person to another of our floors.

Iain - We have already installed fire phones on each of the floors and currently have agreed with the landlord that the person should phone down to ensure that we know that there is someone to save

Alan - Discussions started with the person as soon as i was made aware that there was a need. there is in deed a lot more to it than it would first appear, not only that the person is already employed and working and i now have to devise a plan. It may have been more sensible for those recruiting to approach me before the person started and not after. I feel that the way this recruitment was done has put the person more at risk.

Kelly - I have joined up and cross posted within the group

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

I am trying to put together a Personal Evacuation Plan for a disabled member of staff, who has Rheumatoid arthritis, works on the 9th floor on daily rotating shifts (7.5 hrs + Lunch hr) between 08.00 & 20.30 Mon-Fri and 08.00-14.00 Sat.
Periodically, has mobility problems depending on the severity of the pain associated with the condition. Whilst they are ambulatory most of the time, they have never negotiated more than a flight of stairs at home.
Lifts ground on alarm activation. We have a firemans lift which can be keyed to work but needs a person 'in' it to operate.
There are 18 short flights of stairs with 17 turns on landings if we were using an evac chair.
Taking into account both the DDA and RRO, how can i safely evacuate this person without asking someone (a group of volinteers to cover shifts and absence) to enter a potentially burning building and go to the 9th floor to get the person and buddy or
train enough people(again volunteers) to operate safely an evac chair to bring the person down from the 9th floor

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Jem

forum
a meeting or medium for an exchange of views

It says nothing in my dictionary about forums being narrow, restrictive or exclusive, i believe that discussions should go forward this means that they will at some point take the odd left turn

go with the flow, this happens sometimes as a discussion develops new threads will pop up and develope a life of their own.

Nobody is trying to hijack anything and you may find something comming out of a thread that is useful which you did not expext

Smile, it puts people off their guard and they never quite know what you are thinking

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

and they will ban patio heaters in the summer

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

I always wondered, when entering Watford, it says that it is a Nuclear free zone. How do they separate the electricity that has been supplied by Nuclear power stations and make sure that it does not get in to Watford?

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

For us this is enshrined in our employment contracts which has a sliding scale of repayment with the % depending on the length of time after the course up to two years.

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

If the Government start with banning tobacco this year, perhaps they could go on to ban the use of fossil fuels next yearas they are not only bad for people but bad for the environment

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Keep it simple for me

What is the 'legal standpoint' if a land owner/occupier wants to ban smoking on the site from the position of the member of the public who is using the grounds;
as a patient
visitor
or passing through.

Can you cost effectively enforce this type of blanket ban on large areas such as a Hospital site which presumably covers several acres or more and on what grounds
and (to set cat amongst pigeons)
Is it reasonable to ask these already potentially stressed people to go long distances off the site

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Several things to consider
Work-Life ballance Flexible working and the rights of the worker
Carbon Footprint of the business - can you reduce you carbon use by having people work from home, less fuel used to get to-from place of work, or reducing youroffice space?
Establishing a workspace at home may mean that you need to provide equipment and furniture, some of which may have to be written-off as it may not be suitable for the next person or worth collecting de[pending on the location of the worker
Testing of equipment in the workers home
Psycological aspects - Lone working, competency, work ethic and supervision, dissassociation from the company and other workforce.
Contracts of work

And lastly (and importantly)- Risk Assessment, Risk Assessment, Risk Assessment. Documentation and the Health and Safety of your workers
wherever and whenever they work

I believe that Workplace Law has produced a booklet on Homeworking which may help

Phil Lemon
Member - 46 posts

Philip
OK, I rant occasionally and it usually has something to do with the absurdity of Governmental policy. It's a stress relief thing.
Smioking
Fuel Pricing/taxation
Taxation
Stealth taxes
etc