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14th September 2008, 02:40 PM
Just so other forum members know, Dr Pete did answer my request for an explanation via a private message, prior to Gog's and Dirty Dave's posts above.
I did not like or agree with his explanation, but he did give it.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished
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Last September the tragic death of a geotechnical engineer working for Cotswold Geo-Technical Holdings was discussed on BAJR. It is reported in New Civil Engineer that that this company is to be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter.
See
http://www.nce.co.uk/collapse-leads-to-m...97.article
I understand that working practices are being reviewed through the geo-technical industry
Peter Wardle
(Can we refrain from discussing the details of this case until the trial is complete.)
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To be honest I didn't fully understand Health and Safety, and why we have preceedures in place until I started writing risk assessments - you then relise why we have it in place and also the responsibility of a site director to enforce the risk assessment.
very very sad what happened.
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A sad incident indeed. Lets hope that archaeological managers out there are paying attention and beefing up their H&S procedures now that they can face this kind of charge.
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My thoughts go out to his family.
Lets hope others learn from the mistake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce70k5ewGpA
Website for responsible Metal Detecting
http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording Our Heritage For Future Generations.
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I was in a rather interesting trench on a watching brief last week. My intention had been to draw the whole of the 30m cross section for the pipeline, but then the heavens opened and i got out of there. I did the rest of the recording as best I could with photos, watching the edges of the trench crumble in.
I stayed in the trench longer than i probably should have, because i was stubbornly trying to get as much recorded as possible, and hearing of this tragedy sends a chill right through me. I won't be so shy to get out of the hole should the situation arise again.
It's interesting how many incredulous stares you get when you tell students and volunteers about the risks of section collapse. I guess it's just not necessarily something you'd think about unless you've been told to, or been in the situation before.
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Greetings all.
The death of an individual at work is not just tragic. Its totally avoidable. I am still incredulous that HS is not an integral component of undergraduate study. I`m also gobsmacked that the majority of HS briefings are generic and not archaeology specific. I`m even more shocked that most risk assessments are generic and in some cases are not even site/task specific. The one that really bursts my melon is this... site directors in archaeology are not required to be qualified in risk assessment.
Just to throw my penny`s worth in on the issue of discussing this specific case here on BAJR....
I totally understand that Peter is trying to ensure that BAJR as an entity does not stray into dodgy legal ground. It has to be said that details have already been published and as such, discussing published material is entirely within legal frames of reference. As long as the AUP is adhered to, I feel that it is healthy to discuss something as profoundly important as this case. I also have to add (without malice or ill-will) that one of my pet hates in this modern life is that we are all expected to be silent whenever anything potentially damaging to an individuals/organisations professional reputation is apparent. A man died. I think any reputation is in tatters already. Any competent court will try a defendent on the facts through due process regardless of any public discussion on the matters in hand.
Having said that, Peter is acting as a moderator in the absence of the site host so I will refrain from mentioning names of individuals or organisations in this case and respect his decision. I don`t agree with him but thats how it is.
An average of one person a month dies in the UK in construction-related industries. Thats one too many in my view. A major issue in field archaeology is that our risk assessments are not integrated with those of the construction teams on site. We are often at the mercy of construction industry idiocy simply because we don`t communicate across disciplines even though we all occupy the same space at work.:face-huh:
Perhaps the space on this thread could be used as a timely wake-up call to our industry and prompt discussion on how we should move forward towards a health and safety culture we can be proud of?
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)
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The point about not discussing case specifics or pointing the finger is that we do not know all the details. It is not down to us to say who is right and who is wrong. It could be the fault of the company, the individual or any number of other contractors, sub-contractors etc who operate on building sites.
Anyway, it is a terrible thing to happen, and we all need to be aware of our own surroundings on site. Health and Safety is the responsibility of every single person, not just the site director, consultant, project manager, etc etc.
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16th February 2011, 05:33 AM
Court ruling on the Cheltenham geologist whose tragically died in a trench collapse while taking soil samples. Responsibility of 'every single person' and the heartache spares no one.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-glo...e-12468535
we don't know what we don't know
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16th February 2011, 02:58 PM
3.8m deep and .6m wide? Good grief!
death of a geological surveyor on friday
