Another batch of daft safety photos. http://www.dumpaday.com/...ny-safety-fails-40-pics/

Those just put my day of H&S madness into perspective :) Cheers PH2 Have a good weekend all - Al

Though the quoted webpage starts with the heading "Funny safety fails - 40 pics", please can anyone explain what is amusing about the photos? They depict people at work or using transport in significantly unsafe ways, some of them blatantly so. Though I reckon to have a fairly wide sense of humour, I think the photos are sad and dismal. They reflect various aspects such as ignorance, stupidity, neglect, lack of basic PPE, inadequate/unsuitable access equipment and/or just how cheap and expendable life and limb are regarded in some parts of the world. The same applies to similar types of photos which get widely distributed via e-mails. The photos no doubt show just a few samples of what are widespread unsafe/dangerous practices and attitudes in the places or countries where they were taken. What is NOT revealed to us is information about the numbers of deaths and serious injuries which arise from such practices and attitudes! The same applies regarding the consequences for the dependants of those killed, maimed or injured, especially in countries with limited or negligible medical and welfare provision!

Blimey Graham - Lighten up fella. With the greatest respect mate, it's that sort of stuffy attitude that gets H&S a bad press and make engaging with some groups very difficult. Is it funny that a child falls from a motorcycle and is crushed by a LPG cylinder from his Dad's motorbike? Of course not! But that is not what these images show. I believe they highlight how far advanced H&S is in the UK. These images show the type of H&S 'anarchy' that would prevail here too, if it wasn't for the legislation, controls and H&S professionals like us, that many people (especially the Daily Mail & Sun) find annoying.

Messy Thanks to you and also Merv for your responses. I didn't react to them right away as I was curious to see what other responses my earlier postings might generate. Though I worded my first one to be especially provocative, I still think that the scenarios portrayed in the photos tend to be sad/dismal/pathetic for the reasons given. Also, it makes a change to be advised to "lighten up" considering that many of my postings on this forum probably contain too much humour or the wrong type of humour! As this forum is a public one, I guess that the allegedly "stuffy attitude" of my first posting was but a metaphorical drop in the ocean by comparison with the collective gallons of postings which can be described as stuffy, pedantic, misleading, downright incorrect, ignorant, unnecessarily argumentative and/or puerile. However, it's inappropriate to cite examples of postings which come within these categories, partly because it's up to forum viewers to form their own views about the postings they read! Anyhow, what do other forum users think about the sort of photos involved? Among other aspects, do they instantly prompt viewers, especially OS&H professionals, to think how fortunate it is that the UK and similar countries have reasonably effective health and safety legislation governing work activities, transport, etc.? p.s. Forum users with wry/wacky/offbeat senses of humour might appreciate the 'whale entrails' photos from the Truckspills website at http://www.truckspills.com/whale_spill.html , though best not to look at them while having a snack or meal ! Devotees of the Monty Python film "The Meaning of Life" (1983) may recognise some similarities between the very large customer in the posh restaurant and the deceased whale. :-)

I think too many people in the UK take our H&S systems for granted, which may help perpetuate the myth of 'overburdening' 'strangling growth' etc that our lovely goverment is so keen promote in their bid to undermine it. These pics are a stark reminder of how it could be if. Although they did make me giggle. S