Email: Gate replacing

I see Victor is off on another of his hobby horses—Health & Safety. Why are some people so opposed to workers being able to work in a safe environment?

I dare say people did used to repair gates using a block & tackle and no safety gear—boys used to be sent up chimneys. People wouldn't argue that we should reintroduce the latter why therefore should we expect employees to risk injury just so that we are not inconvenienced by a lock being closed for a day or two longer.

Incidentally Victor says 'Looking back at various records, a couple of days would have seen the job done'. This may be true, but how many people would have been on site? The true figure to look at is the number of staff-hours a job takes. Fewer people now, working with much safer equipment, probably only take the same number of staff-hours as before.

John Kelly