This is a post about the breed, not the clothing items.
Is anyone finding that people issued with this apparel are getting more and more up themselves?
I was at an outdoor concert recently, sitting in my camp chair, not that close to anyone, listening to the music and sparked up a fag. A jacket came over and asked me to go the (invisible) smoking area at the top of the field. He was muttering about children being about. I really don't think my smoking was bothering anyone, and he showed a distinct lack of interest or humour when I pointed out that there were some kids playing frisbee (how dangerous is that???) in my new-found smoking area.
I seem to attract them, sticking their noses into stuff I am doing, which is mostly inoffensive, or they seem to assume authoritarianism way beyond that which I think should be bestowed by a simple fluorescent jacket. Giving them a two way radio or a piece of computer machinery to operate just makes them worse.
This does also apply to road menders, some of whom we had the delight of outside recently to repair the power which other had cut through. What a rude arrogant bunch they were.
Having done many years of voluntary work which has included advising and shepherding the (sometimes rather stupid) public, I am not without sympathy for anyone who has to deal with us, but the combo of hi vis and H&S seems to rule the world.
btw I was at friends in Kent this weekend, the local pick-your-own farms have had to shut up shop due to H&S fears. Of what, I wonder?
Anyway, discuss... if you want.
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I can;t come across enough of them then - not had any problems.
Near us yesterday there was a man in high visibility clothing (all over). He needed it when he was trying to mark a main road for some upcoming work to lay a new 33k volt power cable. He kept running in and out of the road to mark a bit more each time.
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"Anyway, discuss... if you want."
Well the way I see it there are two possibilities:
1 The several million or so people wearing fluorescent jackets really are all becoming overbearing and arrogant and this is somehow linked to the colour of their jackets
or
2 You are becoming increasingly intolerant of anybody you perceive as an authority figure.
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>> Well the way I see it there are two possibilities:
>>
>> 1 The several million or so people wearing fluorescent jackets really are all becoming overbearing
>> and arrogant and this is somehow linked to the colour of their jackets
>>
>> or
>>
>> 2 You are becoming increasingly intolerant of anybody you perceive as an authority figure.
>>
or
3, A bit of both
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It's number 1
It used to be clipboards that brought out the worst in people, now it's High Viz jackets along with phone camera's.
Commonly used to film any perceived wrongdoing where the owner hasn't the nerve to face up to the situation and deal with it face to face, then post it publicly to get that person the sack.
Weak kneed, no backbone, can't stand them.
Pat
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Jobsworths have always existed, nothing to do with the colour of their jackets.
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"Commonly used to film any perceived wrongdoing where the owner hasn't the nerve to face up to the situation and deal with it face to face, then post it publicly to get that person the sack."
Might be common in your neck of the woods but not sure I have come across that sort of thing. Can you give us a few examples?
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It's not my neck of the woods but more likely the people I'm involved with.
If you look on Facebook, You Tube there are always clips of lorry drivers doing what someone considers to be 'wrong'. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't but once posted in the media it has far reaching repercussions in a lot of firms if they get to know about it, and in almost all cases it is something trivial. The sort of thing we would have previously stood and watched and maybe have commented on or gone and spoken to the driver about it.
I had an instance of one of 'our' lorries appearing in a photo parked in the waiting bays at Wilkinsons at Magor last week. He wasn't entirely straight between the white lines and most of us like to be straight with front wheels parked straight ahead.
An experienced driver had posted this picture with a long post criticising our driver.
When I saw the vehicle number I knew our driver had just passed his test and was doing his first week on artics.
I asked the experienced driver why he didn't go and offer to see him back in the bay when it became obvious he was struggling and his answer was he didn't have time.....but he had time to take a pic and post it and criticise.
To be fair, I'm disgusted with some of the new generation of lorry drivers. It used to be unheard of for 'old school' drivers to complain to another lorry drivers employer but these days there are so many cases where they film an 'iffy overtake' or a driver watering his wheelnuts and fire off an email of complaint.
We do get the same from car drivers too where we have to block the road off to do a delivery, and even have complaints about our lorries doing 40MPH on single track roads and holding people up where there is no-where to pull in and let anyone pass.
Camera phones and dash cams all have their place, but it's the camera version of a keyboard warrior.
Pat
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You know what to do Smokie - get yourself a yellow jacket.
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Get promoted to Head Jobsworth, get the orange type
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It was, really, just one of the weekend observations, not too serious a discussion point...
I do carry a full quilted hi vis coat in the car boot. It is very warm and very waterproof and occasionally has been used for working outdoors around the house in inclement conditions, and just twice for it's real purpose - once I stopped at an accident in the dark to see if any assistance was required, and once when I had a night time blow out on a motorway.
So maybe if I can't beat 'em I'll join 'em... :-)
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 22 Jul 14 at 18:21
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It is a legal requirement in Spain to carry hi-vis garments, at least a jacket, in one's car. We brought ours back with us and we continue the practice here.
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..........and then there are TV reporters & presenters who delight in donning hard hats and safely glasses on every possible occasion - many clearly where there is no danger present - real, or imagined.
Do they think it gives them more gravitas, I wonder?
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"Get promoted to Head Jobsworth, get the orange type"
In these days of equal opportunities a pink one might be better.
www.hivis.co.uk/pink-hi-visibility-safety-vest.html
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>>A jacket came over and asked me to go the (invisible) smoking area at the top of the field
Depending on the request, replying with a polite "No" can be fun. They have no plan B, provided that you remain courteous.
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It's not all men in jackets who behave like this, just those with H&S variant Hi-V who are predisposed to it.
(Why only men? Don't women aspire to be jobsworths ?)
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Hi vis jackets - rtj70
