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#1 Posted : 06 May 2005 15:33:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jim-F
We have discovered an Adders nest right next to where we are working, apparently the water board knew about it but did'nt tell us.
the job is covered by CDM, where do we stand
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#2 Posted : 06 May 2005 15:47:00(UTC)
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Posted By Paul Leadbetter
Somewhere else!

Paul
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#3 Posted : 06 May 2005 16:07:00(UTC)
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Posted By Bill Elliott
Jim - you might have a problem here as I believe adders are listed as protected species in the Wildlife & Countryside Act. Effectively means you cannot disturb them I think. You might need to take specialist advice, your local authority should be able to point you in the right direction.
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#4 Posted : 06 May 2005 20:43:00(UTC)
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Posted By John Murgatroyd
Protection against killing, injuring and sale, etc
This level of protection applies to the four widespread species of reptile, namely the common lizard, slow-worm, grass snake and adder. Only part of sub-section 9(1) and all of sub-section 9(5) apply; these prohibit the intentional killing and injuring and trade (i.e. sale, barter, exchange, transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy). It is not an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to possess these animals.

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#5 Posted : 06 May 2005 21:54:00(UTC)
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Posted By Martyn Hendrie
Whilst working with a previous company they had a similar problem when a sand stockpile was "taken over" by the adders. In the end they had to leave the sand where it was (protected species etc.)

Provided they are left alone they didn't cause a major problem. The biggest risk we identified was bites to ankles if someone inadvertently got too close and the snake felt in danger. Rigger boots were suddenly very popular with the workforce.
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#6 Posted : 09 May 2005 12:18:00(UTC)
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Just to pick up the construction issue, your commercial people may well have field day here as the job is not that which was priced for obvious reasons. Really depends on how "rough" you want to be with a client and PS who seemingly failed to provide some vital information which the client knew or could reasonably obtain! Certainly it could affect the final project and this may need some time to resolve. I rather doubt however that the ommission was intentional - in fact the information may not have reached the appropriate managers.

Discussion with the client side is the best way forward to negotiate a sensible answer to a mutual problem.

Bob
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#7 Posted : 09 May 2005 13:14:00(UTC)
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Posted By Lilian McCartney
Are water board your clients? If so, your lawyers can sort out late completion fines etc.

Get your SPCA or RSPCA out to look, they have wildlife advsiers who can advise on what to do. If the work going on is going to affect the snakes environment they can arrange re-location if possible.. or what action you need to take.

Snakes will avoid ground vibration but can react slowly in cold weather. Young snakes will be around at this time of year who don't quite know the area yet.
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#8 Posted : 09 May 2005 13:48:00(UTC)
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Posted By Lynne Ratcliffe
FYI

The adder is more afraid of us than we are of it or them (that I vehemently challenge!)

Most bites from an adder do not contain venom

A bite from an adder is little worse than a bee sting (again I challenge that opinion!)

It hurts an adder more to bite us that it hurts us (again I vehemently challenge that opinion)

Close proximety of adders can increase the ability to exercise (one 75 year old sprinted 100 yards in world record time!)
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#9 Posted : 09 May 2005 14:23:00(UTC)
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Posted By jom
Um, this might be a dumb question, but I'm from Australia...

What is this dreaded beast called Adder? Is it Black?

Sounds terrible! Is it like a Jaberwocky? (They're really nasty.) From comments, it seems that Adders are much worse. What are they?

I first thought you'd found a nest of accountants. Well that would be unpleasant, no mistake, but surely not an OH&S issue.

Please explain to an ignorant Downunder what is this thing called Adder?

J.
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#10 Posted : 09 May 2005 14:43:00(UTC)
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Posted By J Knight
Hi to all our antipodean cousins! An adder is a european snake of the viper family, by your standards not terribly venomous, but Lynne is quite right to question the somewhat dubious information she has picked up (from lord knows where!). The bite is painful, affects a much greater area than a bee sting and can be fatal, though fatality is very unlikely and is usually related to pre-existing vulnerabilities; that is young children and people with dicky tickers might just die, the rest of us would be a bit poorl and sore for a while. The venom is classified as haemotoxic, unlike that of say a cobra which acts on the nervous system. I haven't actually heard of an adder fatality in the UK recently, though I did hear of an incident by the Guildford canal in the '80s when an excercising squaddie dropped his hat; it fell on an adder which bit him when he picked it up and he ended up unconscious and in hospital. The combination of venom and violent exercise in summer was what did for him.

Adders are fairly small, a two-footer would be big, and are quite thick set, with a dark brown colouring and a zig-zag pattern of darker lines, though some I've seen have been nearly black. They are in decline, like most british herptiles, and deserve protection as they are not aggressive and bite only in self-defence or to kill prey (and no, they don't eat humans, even babies).

Not quite like a Tiger snake, I know, but then you have spiders that can kill a man at twenty paces, or so I hear,

John
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#11 Posted : 11 May 2005 13:42:00(UTC)
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Posted By jom
Thanks John.

So an adder is a snake. I guess you spotted my sarcasm.

It's pretty humurous, when you live in Australia, to see Brits fussing over a British snake that has a bite as bad as a bee sting.

We've got Death Adders in the west. They are appropraitely named.

Never thought about this before, but I don't think any of our species are not deadly. The red bellied black snake is pretty calm and hard to arouse, but a bite is still nasty. They can be up to two metres long. Beautiful creature.

Tiger snakes are common.

I watched an American doco on Australian wildlife and the narrator said about the Taipan "even the Aussies are scared of this snake..."

I fell apart laughing. We Aussies are scared of ALL of 'em.

J.
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#12 Posted : 11 May 2005 15:36:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jim-F
Oh right jom, so your snakes are more deadlier and bigger than ours, well theres a first, and I suppose your Kangaroos are bigger too
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#13 Posted : 12 May 2005 09:20:00(UTC)
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Posted By J Knight
Did anybody see those pictures of the spider bite? I was sent them by Jon Breeze (I think) but then I got my laptop nicked and they went with it. Truly gruesome series of pics, brown recluse spider I think, which is a good thing, with a bite like that you'd hate to think it was sociable and likely to turn up at parties.

Europe has a couple of kosher deadly snakes, the Montpelier snake will kill you, as will a couple of the southern European vipers; though I'm dead sure that not all the ozzy snakes are deadly.

Koalas can give you a nasty nip, apparently,

John
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#14 Posted : 12 May 2005 09:46:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jonathan Breeze
John,

No I'm afraid that wasn't me, so I can't help you there.
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#15 Posted : 12 May 2005 09:53:00(UTC)
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Posted By J Knight
Ta for that Jon, it could have been Phil D Baptiste maybe...

I suppose I shouldn't have let my laptop get nicked...

John
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#16 Posted : 12 May 2005 11:44:00(UTC)
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Posted By jom
Jim-F

>oh right jom, so your snakes are more >deadlier and bigger than ours, well theres a >first, and I suppose your Kangaroos are >bigger too

Well, they are daedlier and bigger. And we're scared of em.

Hey, there are British roos? Fantastic.

Ok, jokes aside, if adders can harm you, then that's to be treated seriously. Snakes are a fact of life in Aust., they are common in all parts of the country, and an OHS problem in some occupations.

However, snakebite is rare and victims usually survive. Like someone else said earlier, the snake doesn't want to mess with humans and will make itself scarce. When bushwalking, it's difficult to spot a snake and observe it - they scapa when they feel footsteps.

There are plenty of pythons in Oz and they are not venemous. They can bite. Some are exquisite. Some are so big you'd die of fright if you met one in the dark. I don't think any of the fanged snakes are non-venemous. Wouldn't make sense, would it?

Can you get any pix of the adders' nest, Jim?

I've seen a photo of a nest of rattle snakes in Florida - unsettling.

A few weeks ago I got stung in the cheek by a European Wasp. We have a nest inside the house wall. Please come and collect your wildlife, we have enough of our own.

Cheers,
J.







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#17 Posted : 12 May 2005 14:30:00(UTC)
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Posted By J Knight
Hi Jom,

Did you see this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/...asia-pacific/4539825.stm ? Apparently even your safe places are dangerous, or something,

John
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#18 Posted : 12 May 2005 17:01:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jon Bradburn
Was in the states back in '88, On too seperate occasions awoke to be found sharing my sleeping bag with an american black widow (the eight legged sort before you all start)

On another occasion I saw a guy point out a brown recluse, descride in detail just as we seen on the lectures then promptly squashed it under his thumb. Rock hard or extremely stupid - dont try this at home folks.

See we are the deadliest speicies on the planet!

Back here I still scared $%£"less of spiders lol
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