The Police and others are making statements like 'Don't travel unless absolutely necessary'. Is going to work necessary? We operate powerplants so I would guess that it is but others seem to think that non essential staff (admin etc) who can work from home should do so.

I'm saying to our Directors that only people key to keeping plants running should be coming into work - am I right?

So those who do not go to work do not get paid?

Thats fine for that that are lucky enough to get paid for such time off - if I have the time off I do not get paid or need to take a day as holiday (as I suspect applies to others in the private sector); is putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads and gas to warm the house ' a matter of life or death'? I made it into work ok - a little late but ok (approx 8' of snow in case you were wondering).

140mm of snow and was desk/office bound at home anyway. Live in a small village, and have attended to two accidents in the road today. I had to ask about their journey and on each occasion it clearly was not essential, one wanted to see if they could drive in it!!!!. No-one hurt but it tied up the recovery services and the police that could have been better spent elsewhere.

Getting paid or not is quite irrelevant. The loss of a couple of days pay is a small price compared to the potential loss of life. I am a firm believer in it is not what you do, but what others around you might cause.

Can't eliminate the snow so on a hierarchal standpoint I have to ask...was that journey really necessary or could an alternative choice be made?

Needless to say I guess there will be many in the morning caught out by sub zero temperatures freezing the road surface.

CFT

Sorry CFT - but if you need to get that bread on the table - are behind with the mortgage, or need to go assist someone less able, then you are going to make that journey.

At the end of the day it is down to dynamic risk assessment. Police advise that conditions are bad - we then decide if we are skilled enough to drive in it, are our cars are fit for the task, if the journey warrants it and how bad will it get on the way.
So we pack the shovel, a flask etc and get on with it.

Loads of people might also be under threat of redundancy at the moment as well, and won't not turn in unless it is phsically impossible.

I have the opportunity to work from home if i am ill or unable to get to work with the weather, unfortunately i have a new member of staff who doesn't currently have a key to my office (now sorted) but i need to train as well, so maybe i should get her to come to my flat to work...

Our Aberdeen depot have said they may be due the worst weather for 100 years, they seem to be able to make it to work.

Liverpool is still like an ice rink, i'd say even worse than yesterday due to less snow on the ice now. Can't believe that most of the city centre is still iced up, including both bus stations which means no buses or very few can get in and out of the centre.

Hope we don't get any severe conditions as we may as well give up.

Oh, and we've two people off in this office with flu / swine flu.

Happy days...

The snow hasn't stopped me commuting, but i have driven in it in the past and know what pre-cautions to take etc.
The problem lies with those that are ill prepared and don't research (or have experience of) safe driving techniques in the snow.

I saw a young lad in a car yesterday morning trying to get up a slight incline by revving the engine as hard as possible and managing to spin the wheels on the snow, resulting in the front end moving more to the side than forward.

Snow shouldn't stop everybody from driving. If you have experience of doing so of have done a bit of research on driving in snow and ice then you should learn the basics to get from A to B safely.
On one website it actually suggested that inexperienced drivers should try their techniques on empty car park's to get the hang of driving in the snow, got to learn some how and it would probably the best option of a controlled environment so to speak.

Going back to CFT's comment, he is right in the sense that its not what you do, but what others around you might cause (because they couldn't be bother to research driving techniques or think it would be fun to drive in the snow!)

At the end of the day we make our own decisions and if we feel we are safe to drive in bad conditions we do. If we don't, then we don't , no matter if you have to go without a loaf of bread or 2; there's none left in the supermarkets anyway. Shouldn't just be monetary based, you have to feel you can travel safely or in all honesty you wouldn't travel.

By the way, the wife refuses to drive in this snow because she doesn't feel safe to do so.

My dear wife has had me doing the washing up since the day the dishwasher failed.

At this rate I might even get a real job, so I can get away from the kitchen sink!

Swop her for one who does the washing up ;-)

I was talking to a solicitor friend yesterday night in relation to driving at work, snow conditions etc. and he told me the following:

An employer should bear in mind all the facts when assessing if it is appropriate to force employees to drive at or to/from work by, for example, threatening them with disciplinary proceedings if they failed to do so. If an employee was to have an accident on a treacherous road and it could be shown that, for example, a Highways Agency or Met Office warning not to travel was in place at the time, the employer could be held liable under criminal and/or civil law for the accident. Recent cases have shown that even where an individual is driving to or from work and is not necessarily on work business at the time, the employer can be held liable where they have forced the employee to drive at that time as a result of the demands placed upon that individual which clearly contravened health and safety law.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm !! - how many times do they keep saying on the news 'only drive if necessary' - think I may give some more thought to risk assessment for journeys in our driving policy

Perhaps instead of 'Road closed' we should consider a 'pass at your own risk' sign.
then we could legitimately leave the dumb B~~stards up there to freeze to death !!!

ckitson wrote; "An employer should bear in mind all the facts when assessing if it is appropriate to force employees to drive at or to/from work by, for example, threatening them with disciplinary proceedings if they failed to do so. If an employee was to have an accident on a treacherous road and it could be shown that, for example, a Highways Agency or Met Office warning not to travel was in place at the time, the employer could be held liable under criminal and/or civil law for the accident"

With all due respect I think that is absolute nonsense!
If you have an accident on the roads, YOU are in control - YOU will be charged not the employer. It is up to YOU if you travel or not.
And if there was a met office warning not to travel on the "east coast of England" - just how do we measure the parameters.
If your employer tells you to drive a car with no road tax - YOU pick up the penalty points.

Lets get real here.

David

At the risk of getting a bad name for myself, please can we have sources for this assertion. We need evidence not anecdotes.

ckitson - may I too have access to the recent cases you refer to?

I think prosecuting an employer for forcing an employee to drive would be very difficult thing to prove

David H

With this analogy in mind david, who get's the penalty points if you drive your company vehicle without insurance, if you are driving with your employers knowledge? I think you'll find your BOTH prosecuted.
One for driving with out insurance, the other for allowing someone to drive without insurance.

If your employer phones you, knowing you will answer your phone whilst driving and you don't have hands free, who gets prosecuted??? Again BOTH.

And you don't get penalty points for driving without road tax (Road fund licence) it's just a fine.

If we get back to basics, does your employer not owe you a duty of care??

wazimu0 - thank you for correcting me on the car tax - I thought points werte accruied and stand corrected.

And yes - your employer does owe you a duty of care - so he should not be demanding that you drive in the conditions we have at the moment.
My argument was that prosecuting an employer for forcing an employee to attend work in bad conditions would be extremely difficult! Prove beyond reasonable doubt?
And what excuse would the employee give the police if there was an accident - my big boss told me to?

Again I say it is up to the individual to do the dynamic assessment and decide what to do. And take the consequences of their own actions!

David