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#1 Posted : 04 February 2008 15:05:00(UTC)
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Posted By JimE Hi all, I was reading another thread which got me thinking (oooh my ead urts now!)Does the word "shall" in a sentence imply absolute compliance? I am thinking of our H&S policy in particular what I wrote.When I gave it to the MD's for approval one of them changed "will" for "shall" and treats it as though it reads "should", suggesting he thinks the directive it applies to may or may not be complied with. JimE
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#2 Posted : 04 February 2008 15:12:00(UTC)
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Posted By Alan Hoskins I have always treated Shall as meaning Must and therefore is absolute. Should is to do something that is best practice and not absolute, though there 'should' be a good reason for not complying... Alan
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#3 Posted : 04 February 2008 15:41:00(UTC)
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Posted By JimE Thanx Alan.That's how I thought of it and I couldn't see why the MD changed it and treated as though it read "should".I think I must chat with him and clarify these semantics.
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#4 Posted : 04 February 2008 15:43:00(UTC)
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Posted By Bob Shillabeer Shall is an absolute word. In the HASAW Act it means that you will do something therefore it is absolute. Shall in any statement of action means you will do it that is why the term as far as reasonably opracticable is used so much in the HASAW Act. You SHALL so far as is reasonably practicable means if something is reasonably practicable to be done you must do it.
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#5 Posted : 04 February 2008 15:49:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jonathan Breeze As in the sixth Commandment: "You shall not kill." Put blandly like that, I doubt anyone would gainsay it. That said, according to this website, it isn't always an absolute statement in law: http://bestonlinediction...s/Shall%20definition.htm
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#6 Posted : 04 February 2008 16:14:00(UTC)
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Posted By Robert K Lewis Jonathan That at least is our translation of the commandments from the ancient Hebrew/Aramaic texts!!:-) It has always been a thorny one this and I must say I tend to veer away from "will" to "must" and "shall". I think their use actually adds a verbal stop in peoples' patterns of thought so eliciting a positive response. It is all semantics though and I have had different directors who veer both ways dependent on the day of the week. Certainly the regulatory use of shall adds an emphasis to its use. Bob
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