Posted By Mike Herbert
Quick one hopefully..
I am working on a site in Middle East and an employee of a foreign contractor (EU Based). has managed to get a local doctor to say he is fit for work and exempt from wearing a hard hat due to a scalp infection.

As he is working in a highly hazardous area i have some reservations about allowing him on site.
Insurance implications, duty of care etc etc
Anyone got any thoughts?

Many thanks

mike

Posted By Chris Packham
Why should a scalp infection prevent him from wearing a hard hat. I would have thought that some form of protection would be even more important since with the infection his skin will be far less able to protect itself and him and the hat will at least help in this.

I would throw this one back at the doctor for him to justify the comment.

Chris

Posted By vince Uche
There is no question about allowing him to work. i know that one of the prominent risk there is head injury which could be caused by him not wearing his hard hat. if he has a doctor report not to wear a hard hat, the same report should tell him not to work in an industrial area. He should be can be confined in the office and not to be allowed in a industrial area.
cheers
vincent(Nigeria)

Posted By Mike Herbert
Frankly it is my belief that the doctors here will sign off on anything.
He is fit for work apparently and note says he is not to wear a hat.

Given the heat in this part of the world we expect people to swap their sunhat for a hard hat when appropriate. ie away from working area. The chap concerned is a key member of his team involved in translation between english and other languages and pretty vital to the process.

I think i'm going to get the workshop to knock up a steel umbrella and sit him under it. Or a cage.

We write everything up and constantly warn him to get out of the sun, drink water etc etc.
Not quite as easy as it first seems in some respects.

Anyone with more creative ideas?

cheers. Mike

Posted By Steven
I don't think there are any creative ideas that will solve your problem

Most have said that if he does not wear his hard hat then either move him to an area that does not require a hard hat or speak to him so he understands what the implications are on not adhering to company policies and procedures. The no hard hat no work is the last resort, but it seems as if you are not going to have much choice in your decision.


steve

Posted By Merv Newman
Coincidence again. I interviewed an OH doctor and her nurse today. We all agreed that this kind of medical exemption from PPE was a no-no.

Apparantly the only person on site who says she has a condition that prevents her from wearing safety shoes is the H&S person.

Merv

Posted By Les Welling
I agree: No hat, no work.

Posted By Merv Newman
Ian,

An interesting point and I thank you for it : "I have to wear a hard hat when unloading at certain places"

I have noticed over and over again that "visitors" ; drivers, contractors, salesmen... to a site are quite prepared to go by site rules. If there are no rules then they are also quite happy to go with that. And, in the example, not wear safety shoes, hard hats and so on.

I remember encountering some electrical contractors while on an audit. They were 100% correct. And I told them so. Next week I found the same guys on another site. No safety shoes and no eye protection. "They don't ask us for that here"

Now I knew these people could be perfectly good, and, for me, their company has a very good safety reputation. So I asked "what are YOUR company's rules ?" answer : "Do what the customer tells you"

Ian, may I ask, even if the site to which you are delivering does not require a hard hat, do you take a second or two to assess whether or not it would be a good idea to wear one ?

Merv

Posted By Ryan Ramjit
Mike,

I am with the rest of the bunch. No hard hat, no access. However, I think that Jeff is on to something there. Examine the role that this person has to play on your site. If he does not need to be in a hard hat area and can still perform his role then go for it.

It may seem insignificant but reducing the number of persons exposed to the risk even by one is a positive move.

Get your self a couple of radios mate, keep the translator in the coffee house and try the radio.

Another question that you should ask is, whats behind this doctor's note. What have you or your management team done to create this behavior? And why would a medical doctor play along?

In my limited experience I have found that behind every behavior there is a belief that is not always addressed. Look for the root cause mate. This may take some more time but you might find that what you learn is far removed from a PPE issue.

I have worked with translators in the past and the men tell them a lot more than they tell you.

If your relationship with the translator is not amicable, you may not be getting the best out of him. But these are questions that you alone can ask and answer.


Let us know how you get on...

Posted By lewes
Here is a Hard Hat Exemption Policy.......use wisely (and very tongue in cheek !!!!!)

The HSE requires head protection for employees working in areas where there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, or from falling or flying objects or from electrical shock or burns.

There is an option of qualifying for “Hard Hat Exemption”. It works like this. Basically, if your head meets the U.K. Government standard for head protection, you don’t need to wear a hard hat. The testing of your head will include the following:

1. A 24-hour water immersion test. Maximum permitted absorption is 0.5% by weight. The company must supply water for 24 hours free of charge.

2. Passing that, an impact test will be conducted. While lying horizontally with your head resting on a 0.75 inch steel plate. Then an 8 lb steel ball will be dropped several times from a height of 50 feet. You will only pass this if there is no damage to your head.

3. Next, your head will be subjected to a variety of acids, solvents, oils and industrial gases. There must be no deformities or obvious colour changes to your head for it to gain a pass.

4. To determine your head’s fire resistance, it will be submitted to a Propane torch for
5 minutes. If it is only slowly burning, you may achieve only a class A or B rating. If there are any holes in your head, it will restrict you to a class B rating.

5. For the final test, you must sustain for 3 minutes, 2200V 5011z AC, with a leakage current not exceeding 9 mA. Breakdown threshold has been established at 3000,000 volts.

REMEMEBER …… unless you receive an Exemption, you must continue to wear your hard hat. Not wearing your hard hat is a privilege given only to those who undergo and obtain the above certification.