Wednesday - January 13, 2010

Why does nobody clear the paths outside their homes?

Well now actually guys, ah. Yeah. It is H & S but at the rate ppl are suing and the reasons they’re suing for, I think I understand a lot of the decisions that made.  Even if I don’t happen to agree. But this does defy some logic.

This story has been well covered over here and in between everything else I have brewing, I forgot about it till the BMEWS TIGER emailed it to me and I was reminded.  That happens from time to time. 

BTW, The town mentioned, http://www.discovergosport.co.uk/ , is a neat place to visit. Or it was when I was there 25 yrs ago. It’s naval and in the olde days when ships were wood and men were iron, ships were built here.

Anyway, the weather has been on the bad side depending on what you mean by bad.  We had more snow overnight and it has continued on and off all day here. But not heavy. So far.  I think we’re on the edge of the storm.  I haven’t seen this much snow in many,many years so I think it’s fun and the natives here think I’m smoking funny weed.  It is not as cold as it has been. That is, it is not frigid again as it was yesterday. Thereby proving that gorebal warming is for real.

This photo has absolutly nothing at all to do with the article, but I put it here anyway cos I shot it thru the bedroom window early today.

Why does nobody clear the paths outside their homes?

Yup, it’s all down to health and safety

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:10 AM on 11th January 2010

Householders and businesses have been warned not to clear snowy pavements - as they could be sued if someone slips.

Icy paths mean hospitals have been inundated with patients who have broken bones in falls.

But the professional body that represents health-and-safety experts has warned businesses not to grit public paths.

In its guidance to members, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health warns that if people assume an area is clear and then slip and injure themselves, they could take legal action claiming damages.

And members of the public say they have been warned by councils about the legal risks.

Michael Pepper, 68, asked Cambridgeshire county council to deliver grit which he offered to spread.

But he claims he was told not to attempt to do so without public liability insurance as it could leave him open to being sued if someone became injured on the road.

The 68-year-old lives with wife Gloria, 65, in a cul-de-sac which is not normally gritted.

Retired secretary Gloria walks with a stick and has been unable to leave the house for days due to the poor conditions on the road.

The warnings did not stop more than 50 people who pulled together to dig snow and ice from around Elson Junior School in Gosport, Hampshire after an appeal for help was broadcast on BBC Radio Solent. The school hopes to re-open tomorrow.

Government whip Lord Davies of Oldham explained to fellow peers in a House of Lords debate: ‘If people totally clear away all snow and return the pavement to the situation it was in before the snow landed, they have done an excellent job.

‘If it is done in a less than complete manner and leaves ice, which is more dangerous than the original covering of snow, it may not be the local authority responsible but the householder for having dealt with the pavement.’

John McQuater, president of the National Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, admitted: ‘If you do nothing you cannot be liable. If you do something, you could be liable to legal action.’

But to add to the confusion, home owners are responsible for clearing their own private paths and ensuring visiting postmen, milkmen and others are safe, warned Paul Kitson, of solicitors Russell, Jones and Walker.

The situation here contrasts with many parts of North America where householders face local authority fines if they don’t shovel snow off pavements facing their homes.

Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister and critic of Britain’s burgeoning ‘compensation culture’ told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘The idea you can be sued for being helpful is absolutely ludicrous.’

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents also expressed its disappointment that public safety was being neglected because of fears of possible litigation.

A spokesman said: ‘This is not showing a particularly good attitude. It would be much safer for the public to clear paths, even if it’s not on their property.’

And Clare Marx, past president of the British Orthopaedic Association and orthopaedic consultant at Ipswich Hospital, said: ‘If people want to clear pavements, they should just do it.

‘I would have thought it’s a public service and it is a shame we have ended up with a culture where if someone slips, they want to sue someone.

‘People need a bit of grit, in both senses.’

The organisation said its members expected to treat tens of thousands of fractures by the time the weather eventually improves.

Forecasters are predicting that freezing conditions continue until at least Wednesday, while local authorities edge closer to running out of grit.

The lack of salt means even few pavements will be cleared of ice and snow.

The Government has ordered extra supplies from the U.S. and Europe, but they are not expected to arrive for another fortnight.

SOURCE and H/T TIGER for the reminder.

A “fortnight?” 14 days?  Global warming will have melted all by then. 
We haven’t any sidewalks out front where we are so the only thing out there is our street, a short one, and believe it or not it’s about 900 years old. No kidding. It started out as no more then a herding track when people drove sheep through what was pasture, from Wales to London.

Posted by peiper     on 01/13/2010 at 09:44 AM   
Filed Under: • Climate-Weather • Health and Safety • UK •  
• Comments (6) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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