Mine are dogs.
Calling at innumerable dwellings during the day I come across many of our canine cousins, mostly friendly old souls, but not all. This morning a poodle sunk it's teeth into my hand, and a few hours later whilst handing something across a hedge to a customer who was standing in her front garden a frantic but unseen yapping turned into a little Jack Russell who leapt up and played fetch with my arm. I don't like poodles much or trust them and I hate JR's with a passion. They should all be shipped of to Brasil and used as footballs in the forthcoming World Cup.
At least a phone call to the doctor's surgery confirmed my anti-tetanus was up to date so apart from being covered in sticking plasters from elbow to fingertips I seem to have survived. That made it three this year to date, just after Christmas another Jack Russell left his teeth in my calf. It's a bad year so far, normally it averages out at one bite per annum.
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Have you never thought of having a pocket full of Bonio's R'O?:)
My workplace hazard is the resident H&S nut who once upon a time used to yell 'Do you need a hand with those Pat' and now yells (before I've even got out of the car 'Where's your Hi Viz Pat'
I hate him with a vengeance...and when I'm in the yard at 5am on a Sunday morning on my own, he even checks the CCTV on a Monday to see if I had it on.
Pat
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Ha Ha Pat....that made me laugh. I had to write my own assessment for my job. It did include a Hi Viz Jacket....never worn it though. I got a pair of nice steel toe-cap boots on the strength of it though.
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>> Have you never thought of having a pocket full of Bonio's R'O?:)
>>
>>
You need to think that one through, Pat.
Pocket full of Bonio's.
Dog leaps to get a Bonio.
Misses...
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I visited many a home in my working days and the workplace hazards were carpets that you stick to as you walk across them and condensed milk in your tea. I have since politely declined a tea in someone's home every time for maybe 25 years now.
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Couple of things at work amuse me.
In an office I rarely visit they have open spiral staircases going from ground to 2nd floor. The building is fairly modern, approaching 10 years old.
On my visit today I notice that warning signs have appeared with guidelines for how to use the stairs.
Think it was something like Do not stop to look over the handrail, do not use if on a mobile, use the lift if you need to carry paperwork..........
One of our other sites is a manufacturing plant. The product weighs several tons and is moved through the air by overhead cranes. Its company policy that you wear a bump cap - looks like a baseball cap, but is hard. As a colleague pointed out, if one falls, the bump cap nots going to make much difference :-)
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I worked somewhere bump caps had to be worn, more to stop people getting a bump when it gets a 'swing on'.
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>> One of our other sites is a manufacturing plant. The product weighs several tons and
>> is moved through the air by overhead cranes. Its company policy that you wear a
>> bump cap - looks like a baseball cap, but is hard. As a colleague pointed
>> out, if one falls, the bump cap nots going to make much difference :-)
>>
Has naff all to do with personal protection, and much to do with ensuring that if you do get flattened by a falling girder your family will get paid out because you were wearing PPE.
We use bump caps at our place; much better than a plastic "Bob the Builder" type hat, as you don't cook to death in hot weather. Whilst they are not as effective against falling masonry and the like, they do give protection against banging your crust on the beams in a farmer's feed loft.
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>> >> Have you never thought of having a pocket full of Bonio's R'O?:)
>> >>
>> >>
>> You need to think that one through, Pat.
>>
>> Pocket full of Bonio's.
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>> Dog leaps to get a Bonio.
>>
>> Misses...
>>
You may laugh.... I deliver to farms and advice in our drivers manual is to carry a couple of dog chew/treats to deal with just that situation.
Personally I rely on half a housey and a size nine steel toecap.
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>> Mine are dogs.
As I'm still a delivery driver (until my business pays me a decent wage)...I regularly meet our canine friends.. and to date I've not been bit, although there's been a few near misses.
When I do, you'll all read about it in the paper...because the dog won't have won.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a dog lover and until recently we had two here at home (only one left at the moment, due to old age and we plan top replace this one when she's had enough).
It's the humans that get it wrong by not training them properly, but if they need my toe up their rectum to work it out, then so be it.
When working in my last profession I received a formal complaint from some 'lady' on a council estate in Pinner in the late 90's... when her dog came out and had a go.. I gave it such a kick, it ran off howling and disappeared down the estate.
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I rely on customer goodwill to make a living. Booting Rover up the jacksy doesn't go down to well.
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>> I rely on customer goodwill to make a living. Booting Rover up the jacksy doesn't
>> go down to well.
>>
Funnily enough, in my last profession customer goodwill in some places was a virtual given that it would be negative ..and in my van driver's job, I'm not paid enough to take that sort of crap.
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>> ..and in my van driver's job, I'm not paid enough
>> to take that sort of crap.
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Without customer goodwill I'm not paid at all.
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>> You get paid from tips?
>>
Commission only.
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Ouch. Door to door is it?
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>> Ouch. Door to door is it?
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Yep. not too bad though as it's made me a living for the past ten years.
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Pretty rare these days isn't it? Mind you like you say you've made a living so must be a reasonable market. I think I've had 1 in ten years knock on the door.
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>> Ringtons?
>>
No, catalogue sales.
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H&S is very head office orientated....I had a friend who ended up for his sins on the HMIC - he was doing an Inspection on the Isle of Man (only a short while ago) - he went to the Police Office in Peel - the guys there had a giant unguarded roaring fire in the fire place....sort of very nostalgic feel he said....but no way a mainland constabulary would have that.
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Other doggy people would maybe have another view but for what it's worth having had them around me from childhood is the simple 'off' technique. Flat of your palm towards their face and a firm but not shouty single word command of 'off' . Usually works no matter how nippy the dog.
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I've only been bitten once recently. Chatting in the street with a neighbour, while his rat-on-a-rope was with him. It took a nip at my calf. I calmly pointed out that if it even attempted such a thing again it would be booted into the next life.
He keeps it on a very tight lead now!
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People who have to hit or kick a dog to keep it at bay are usually those who are either overtly or inwardly scared of them.
Dogs can be calmed and dominated by tone of voice and demeanour much more effectively than by violence.
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H E Bateman (AC would know) had a cartoon on that very subject...."The Power of The Human Eye"
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>> Dogs can be calmed and dominated by tone of voice and demeanour much more effectively
>> than by violence.
I agree in principle but getting the tone (and body language) right if you're in any way scared of them is a challenge. You're convincing the dog you're closer to pack Alpha than he is - uphill battle if he thinks you look shifty!
I've done it with then childminders mongrel and friend's daft, and now deceased, Dalmatian - both though were neutered. A German Shepherd still in possession of its testicles might be more of a challenge.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 13 May 14 at 21:44
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>> if you're in any way scared of them...
That is the key of course. Our household when I was a child contained a number of 'intact' male dogs. You had to signal and indeed the animals had to recognise pretty quickly who was boss. Once that relationship was established it was fine. If you show or even allow yourself to even slightly feel fear to/of an aggressive dog it will sense it. If it feels dominated or even just ignored it will attempt to please and appease.
Kicking it might work as a temporary measure but the risk is increasing its aggression.
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mine are class 4 lasers and -80c refrigeration.
not too bad on the whole as we have dark rooms with lights outside to denote when unprotected lasers are in use.
The biochemical fridges are quite well shielded so very little chance of getting burnt or stuck to anything metallic.
as a matter of fact I would be more likely to slip on water (dew) from the compressor systems.
glad your tetanus shots are up to date, some people have no idea how to look after dogs
Last edited by: diddy1234 on Tue 13 May 14 at 21:45
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Reading that I thought for a minute you were recommending. class 4 lasers and refrigeration to control dogs.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Tue 13 May 14 at 22:17
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it would certainly be a solution, whether its the right one. he he
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So did I. Bit excessive I thought !
;-)
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My workplace hazards are many....Pedestrians, cyclists, customers and worst of all...private hire taxis. You rarely see one in this 'ere city who isn't doing something wrong !
But then, a large percentage seem to have been trained in far-off lands ! A huge number must be on poverty-spec money judging by the rush to get to the next job and the risks they take.
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>> A huge number must be on poverty-spec money judging by the rush to get to the next job and the risks they take.
Sounds like minicabbing in Clapham in the seventies Horatio. You own and maintain the car, rent the radio and work a 12-hour shift beating the traffic speed consistently through two rush hours in the day shift, covering many more miles and making less money in the night shift. Very very tiring and unhealthy way to make a sort of living wage. Knackers the car too.
Have to say I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Taught me to beat the traffic without crashing, slowed me down a bit if anything. Herself and my father both said the experience had made my language and comportment vulgar not to say offensive. I'm sure they were right and the effects haven't quite died away even now.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Tue 13 May 14 at 23:55
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>> People who have to hit or kick a dog to keep it at bay are
>> usually those who are either overtly or inwardly scared of them.
>>
>> Dogs can be calmed and dominated by tone of voice and demeanour much more effectively
>> than by violence.
>>
You're quite right, of course; unfortunately in some parts of my delivery area the dogs only speak Welsh and I don't. So I treat them how the English have (allegedly) always treated the Welsh. ;-)
Actually I've only ever once had to take a stick to a farm dog; well not a stick but a short length of Alkathene water pipe which all dairy farmers have lying around to control cattle. Didn't need to hit the blighter, once it saw me pick it up it backed off. It was a notorious biter, usually tied up when we were delivering but this day he'd forgotten.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Wed 14 May 14 at 01:38
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Having to work with someone who has bad BO.
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The all-butter croissants in the Waitrose across the road.
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I'd have thought yours would be Byzantine company car schemes with their siren-like Audi A3s, Focusless.
;-)
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Agh! I thought I was over that, but you had to bring it up...
:)
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Interestingly, a new workplace hazard has come up here this morning.
It's a note from HR summoning me to a meeting with some external consultants. Ironically, it's about workplace hazards.
Although HR are often asking about stress levels, news that their various communiques often induces raised blood pressure in me seems to fall on hearing challenged ears.
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The worst hazard no one has mentioned yet is being chivvied into doing some actual work.
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In an environment where you'd find uninsulated busbars carrying 5 volts at 1000 amps, 11kV switchgear, the most dangerous thing was... the kettle.
All the silly voltage and currents were treated with due respect, but the kettle was just plugged in and used.
The environment? TV and radio transmitting stations when the BBC owned them all. In the early 80s, some installations and transmitters dated back to the mid 30s. Starting and running mid 30s diesel generators with exposed valve-gear was to me at least, enormous fun!
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Recently here a policeman on his horse fired his gun into the air to try to stop a riot just as a bloke on the 10th floor looked down over his balcony to see what was going on. Killed, of course.
Does that count as a workplace hazard?
Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 14 May 14 at 22:13
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At one point I was running a Pulp & Paper plant in the Amazon, short term-ish. When I was being shown around by the proud owners, we went past one of those large signs that say;
"n Days since the last injury"
But the "n" was blank so I asked the question.
"Actually", the outgoing CEO said, "we're having great success, only 14 people fatalities so far this year".
It was April.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 14 May 14 at 22:17
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See those signs in workplaces reminds me of this:
tinyurl.com/mvjusbl
Which made me chuckle when I saw it on the internet :)
Last edited by: PeterS on Wed 14 May 14 at 22:24
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>> The worst hazard no one has mentioned yet is being chivvied into doing some actual
>> work.
>>
That's part of what I meant by "managers".
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Workplace Hazards - Pat
