Posted By Ken Urquhart
Dear All,
I have read this discussion with interest and some of it with dismay.
We are I believe in the 21st Century but it seems like Dark Dickensian and Satanic Mill days from some of the respondent contribution.
The following extract might just touch a nerve.
John Brown, A Memoir of Robert Blincoe (1828)
A girl named Mary Richards, who was thought remarkably handsome when she left the
workhouse, and, who was not quite ten years of age, attended a drawing frame,
below which, and about a foot from the floor, was a horizontal shaft, by which
the frames above were turned. It happened one evening, when her apron was caught
by the shaft. In an instant the poor girl was drawn by an irresistible force and dashed on
the floor. She uttered the most heart-rending shrieks! Blincoe ran towards her, an agonized
and helpless beholder of a scene of horror. He saw her whirled round and round with the shaft
- he heard the bones of her arms, legs, thighs, etc. successively snap asunder, crushed,
seemingly, to atoms, as the machinery whirled her round, and drew tighter and tighter her body
within the works, her blood was scattered over the frame and streamed upon the floor, her head
appeared dashed to pieces - at last, her mangled body was jammed in so fast, between the shafts
and the floor, that the water being low and the wheels off the gear, it stopped the main shaft.
When she was extricated, every bone was found broken - her head dreadfully crushed.
She was carried off quite lifeless.
So Polly, as many of the replies have said, you have rights and entitlements and the Health and Safety Law is there for your protection.
Such entiltements evolved out of the sort of conditions and circumstances that the above narrative depicts - of the Dark Satanic Mills and the "Good Old Days"
Has the Company that you are working for got a Safety Policy, have you seen it or been shown it or is there anything that might resemble a Safety Policy notice, poster or booklet displayed anywhere.
You say that you have received NO Training or Instruction - Is that in regard to Safety or to Work task duty and function or both?
Is there a Fire procedure for the premises - Have you been shown it or can you or have you seen any notices or posters displayed around the premises/workplace advising what to do in the event of Fire/Emergency/Need for First Aid etc etc.
Have the HR Dept issued you with any information about the Companies rules/procedures of any sort - e.g. expectations of you - Hours of work;Days of no working e.g. rest days;Holiday entitlement if any;Your time keeping;Reporting if you are absent through sickeness;Period of notice to be given - by the Company, by you;Disciplinary Procedure;etc., etc.,
If they have covered such things is there any mention anywhere in the information about Safety, First Aid, Fire, Emergency, Accident reporting etc., etc.,
What other facilities do you have access to such as toilets, washing facilities, lockers, changing areas, rest rooms for eating meals, a canteen etc. etc.
How clean are such facilities and are they well serviced and provisioned.
Apart from adult employees and temporary Holiday Job personnel such as yourself, does the company take on School leavers for any jobs/roles.
If they do and the conditions and apparent lack of Safety are as you say then you might also like to inform the Local Authority Education Department and there Careers Guidance function if they have one - You could always do this anonimously by letter.
Whilst you could and should prepare a summary of the shortcomings and identify to the company that these are things that you are entitled to:- information, training,and instruction (and also to competent supervision - Do you have that?);
I would suggest as others have, and noting that you have accessed and read the HSE Employees Web page that you talk first to the HSE and give them the information and seek there assistance.
As Peter Gotch says HSE are obligated not to disclose details.
However if you feel confident enough you can address the issues - your list to the company, but as some of the other respondents suggested, do this in a positive way.
Try to demonstrate to the Company that if they address the Welfare in the broadest sense and the Health and Safety issues they will achieve better production to probably a more consistant quality and output level because the personnel will be more comfortable, relaxed, and positive about being at work rather than working to - as you put it "pay the mortgage".
If the Employer adds value for the benefit of his employees then emphasise to the employer that that is likely to be repaid in kind to the benefit of all and the profitability of the business.
Out of interest, is this holiday job whilst you continue with education/studies?
When you become a Captain of industry or Commerce or a World Leader how will you remember these experinces and the shared knowledge from a myriad of souls whose role and interest in life is betterment for there fellow in the world of work in the Global Village and how might you use these experiences in time, to give somehthing back?
As others have requested, please keep us up to date with what happens next and good luck for your future.
Kind regards.
Ken Urquhart