Posted By Paul Costelloe I had intended to refrain from participating any further in this thread, since it seems to have degenerated into farce. (not that it was a particularly relevant comment that started it). I wasn't aware, however that I'd even mentioned dialect before - the spelling is the same no matter what dialect you speak. I am not from Oxford or Cambridge, I come from Gateshead in the North-East, but I don't use this as an excuse for bad spelling or grammar. David, it is interesting to note that there is a South East London variation on the way my surname is spelt however.

Posted By Zyggy Turek FAO David Partington I could not help but notice the awful spelling mistake in your submission, i.e. "As our team (Millwall)are about to win the FA Cup"...this must surely be an error! As a Man United supporter (yes, I am from Manchester) I will be in Cardiff on Saturday, probably to be found at the Cornish Pasty shop opposite the Castle! As for this thread...well, my opinion for what it's worth is that the odd spelling/punctuation error in this Forum is not a hanging offence. But, in other situations, i.e. reports/ investigations/memos, etc., sloppy presentation is usually noticed, & that can have a detrimental effect on what the author is attempting to convey.

Posted By Alec Wood I always strive for a high standard of English when submitting written reports or giving presentations. When chatting with my friends in the pub I tend to be a lot more relaxed and will freely massacre our beloved language with the best of them. Posting on this forum is not a formal presentation to management, so one can be more relaxed, perhaps not as relaxed as the pub, but I certainly feel that it is the content that matters and presentation much less so - including spelling. What is particularly amazing is that we have all contributed more to this thread than to almost any other this year. If only we could get anything like as much interest in health & safety on these forums, wouldn't they be usefull then........... Alec Wood Samsung Electronics

Posted By David Edward Partington Serious bit first. Rod Todd you are quite right about serious issues - Tobacco. When I did my BSc in Occ Health and Safety in the 90's my dissertation was on how much tobacco smoke bar staff were exposed to and I measured this at the Rutland Arms - Perry Hill where none of the bar staff smoke themselves (still don't). The conclusion from the data based on CO levels was that staff were exposed to approxiamtely two cigarettes per shift (dependent on the brand of cigarette). I also found research (Halliwell - I believe)that suggested that people who smoked two cigarettes per day had no greater incidence of lung cancer. The difficulty with tobacco is the known 42 cacinagens and the 4500 known chemicals within tobacco (synergistic potentials) and the complexity of tar. Therefore on balance -hierarchy of control etc tobacco should be banned in the workplace. The fun bit Ziggy I understand your confidence in Man U however, Wimbledon-Suderland and West Ham. It is one game and we are up for it. In the manor tickets are exchanging hand for impressive amounts of cash I suspect this is the same in Manchester, this is the part where you are given fraternal assistance. Can I suggest that you sell your ticket at say £300 put most of it on Millwall at 11/2 (William Hill) plus a few quid on my 670/1 advice(see earlier posting). With all of the winnings you should be able to buy consolation for your friends in the pub and still have enough money left over for a holiday - on Millwall. Best regards David.

Posted By Allan St.John Holt I must confess to sympathy with Richard's view. A literate community is a necessary step in regaining the confidence we should have, despite snipings from Mr Clarkson. And it doesn't take a minute to check the spelling and the grammar via Word, or even (as I do) by previewing the response. So, Richard, I'm a bit of a pedant myself - but just occasionally I enjoy hearing from a real expert! Please carry on. Allan :-)

Posted By Peter Lee Alan, I hate to be a pedant but you do not start a sentence with the word, "And". Just teasing....!

Posted By Patrick Teyhan Rod Todd gets my vote. Anyone got any H&S Jobs going spare? Regards