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Common Courtesy at Indoor Gyms 5-May-2006 At 2:12:26 PM brat

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Hi Cruze, my OHS experiences are with rigging, scaffolding, rope access, elevated work platforms, craneage, high and low angle rescue in which I hold qualifications. This combined with climbing over 30 years I feel generally qualified to look at OHS and it's application relevant to construction and mining (of which I have extensive experience), yes work practices of 20 yeas ago are no longer tolerated, nor should they be. However there is an attitude of "the lowest denominator" that will cripple Australian industry if it continues unabated!

I was attempting brevity with my reference to Darwin! However the fact remains that I have been forced to act in a unsafe manner due to OH&S requirements.

Situation A: working inside a tank in a man cage attached to a crane, using a radio for comms, I wanted to use a whistle as back-up in case of radio failure but couldn't as whistles were banned on site as you weren't allowed to wear any jewellery etc from your neck! I said I'd carry it in a plastic bag in my pocket (acid environment). The answer "no" as I may swallow contaminants if I used it!

Situation B: building a 15m High scaffold inside a tank we had to wear safety harnesses, even though it's accepted that harnesses are dangerous to the wearer (scaffolder) as a tripping hazard, plus we could not get an anchor that wouldn't cause pendeluming and further injury???

Situation C: Forced to wear incorrect lanyard in a Elevated Work Platform (Fall restraint rather than work positioning) as the OH&S officer was lacking in knowledge as the uses of each type of restraint! This has happened on a number of sites I've been too!

I'm sure I do things that someone else may see as dangerous, what annoys me is that someone uses their personal fears as a basis for employing safety standards!