Monday, 3 November 2008

"Town's ban over 'risky' Christmas trees"

From The Metro:

A town has been banned from putting up 60 Christmas trees - because it is too dangerous. Health and safety rules forbid the council from using stepladders to put the decorations above shops and businesses in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire.

'We have been advised that over a certain height we need scaffolding or a cherry picker,' said deputy mayor Helene Lovell.

However shopkeepers plan to keep the tradition alive by putting up their own trees. 'It's stupid it has been banned,' said business-woman Helen Greenslade.

1 comments:

Longrider said...

"Health and safety rules forbid the council from using stepladders to put the decorations above shops and businesses in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire."

No, they do not. The working at height regulations require an assessment of risk and appropriate measures. Step ladders are perfectly acceptable if the work is brief in nature and the ladder is secured and is appropriate for the job - which, frankly, is common sense. How else do these people think window cleaners manage?

Cherry pickers and scaffold towers are intended for greater heights or longer jobs - again, it is about choosing the most appropriate tool for the job; i.e. common sense again.

This is not about health and safety bans, this is about simpletons who do not understand the regulations and are too bone idle to find out. Oh, and a media that is equally bone idle, as well as disingenuous.