Under the cover of 'elf and safety, a large company has instructed its employees to reverse in to parking places or face disciplinary procedures.
tinyurl.com/y9a5dkk
It's in The Telegraph, so it must be true!
Edited by drbe on 18/01/2010 at 20:10
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Err, you can also run people down reversing into a space. Amazing how many numpties will walk behind a car even though it's displayting reversing lights!!
And as for fit young people being required to hold the bannister words fail me!!!
Where are the unions when you need them?
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next they'll be telling their staff they can no longer have hot drinks in case someone scalds their lip.
World's gone mad!
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A retired friend used to work in this office. He is very glad to be out of it. I think it is down to the unusual local management style. I'll get more details when on the piste next week.
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When I learned to drive you were told to reverse into drives and parking spaces, the police would actually give you a telling off for reversing onto a main road. Now you see people reversing onto main roads and off drives all over the place - even though it is against the law. Still, I'm sure the speed cameras will catch the offenders eh?
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>even though it is against the law
SteveLee, can you tell me what section of the road trafic act this is "law"?
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Have seen the opposite on a building at work once. A polite notice asking people to drive into the parking spaces to prevent their exhaust pipes leaving sooty marks on the wall.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 18/01/2010 at 21:57
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A polite notice asking people to drive into the parking spaces to prevent their exhaust pipes leaving sooty marks on the wall.
I too have seen that!
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Okay it's against the road traffic regulations, which incidentally (technically) that's all speeding is but we still go to jail for it.
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No SteveLee, I mean, can you show me where it is against road traffic regulations.
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No SteveLee I mean can you show me where it is against road traffic regulations.
You can get done for contravening any advice given in the highway code (normally driving without due care) if it causes an accident. Namely article 201 in this case "201 Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can."
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Yes indeed you can be done if you cause an accident
If you dont, its perfectly legal.
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No it's no perfectly legal, even if you just cause another vehicle to swerve or brake (no actual accident) you could be nicked for reversing out onto a main road. The point is as you are going against the advice of the highway code you will not be treated as leniently.
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"No it's no perfectly legal, even if you just cause another vehicle to swerve or brake (no actual accident) you could be nicked"
Thats the same as if you turn right into oncoming traffic and cause them to brake or swerve, its driving without due care
Doesent make a right turn illegal tho does it.
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>>> "No it's no perfectly legal, <<<
I think the point here is that whilst reversing, one is always in the wrong, so if you hit a car or a ped you'll get done -whatever the situation.
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Where are the unions when you need them?
The they are probably supporting an employer that's taking its obligations seriously. My employer (another utility) and SWMBOs (metals) both use similar approaches. Like SSE, both have large numbers of office-based staff, but have people operating in potentially hazardous situations. With SSE, this includes steam plant at high temperature & pressure, rotating machinery, high voltages and working at height on pylons etc.
Always easy to take the mickey out of these SHE initiatives - I agree they look nuts to the outsider etc... but the logic is that by getting people to focus on even the small safety issues, you prevent the chain of events that leads to a big incident, and also contributes to a culture of safety across the whole company - an approach that was first used by DuPont.
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also contributes to a culture of safety across the whole company
I would disagree with that - its just some H&S rep gone mad and no one is willing to put their name to something to rebuke him.
Until the first time someone can't reverse and goes off sick with stress, gets a lawyer and sues the company and then before you know it, they will be employing parking attendants who are specifically trained to park employees cars.
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Where are the unions when you need them?
If they're any thng like the leader of unite he's sitting in his £2 million pound cottage after taking money out the pockets of millions of workers and doing nothing while 10 of thousands of jobs are off-shored to India. At least the fat cats create actual jobs putting food in people's mouths. Trade Unions just take money off people and line their own pockets. Scargill, Kinnock, Prescott - all rich off the back of brown-nosing their way up the union networks. Victorian work houses are gone, we have employment laws and free government sponsored employment tribunals - what's the point of unions?
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you sound like you are in the IT game....
You dont drive a toureg per chance.....?
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Had the same thing in the building I used to work in. This was in 2006. That building too was mainly occupied by an energy company. We found the little safety reminder notices about keeping left on the stairs, or holding the handrail, made a handy icebreaker when greeting visitors, but put in the context of electricity and gas it makes absolute sense to foster the safest habits in every situation.
It worked too. If I walked down the right-hand side of the staircase, the man in the hard hat and yellow tabard would wait at the bottom rather than go up on the wrong side. So scoff all you like, but it makes sense to me.
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R2 Cmax
My comment was slightly tic but its fairly common for unions to supoprt H&S at any price.
The posties union enthusiastically supported compulsory helmets for postmen riding bikes. They were quite taken aback when asked to support members who'd been diciplined for refusing to wear the damned things 'cos they were ill fitting. uncomfortable and of dubious benefit when doing deliveries from very sturdy utility bike.
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This rule doesn't bother me at all, I reverse in 99% of spaces anyway ;)
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You can also run people down reversing into a space
You can just as easily do it reversing out? Don't see why it's that much more likely going in. Maybe the aim is to prevent two drivers reversing out into each other - which happens quite often?
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"thousands of workers" must reverse in ....isnt the car park big enough to allow manouvering so the employers can drive out on to the main road, who designed the car park? I dont get the argument here about reversing out on to the public road? or am i missing the point
Edited by zookeeper on 18/01/2010 at 23:54
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Reversing into a parking space in a car park is not the same situation as turning in or out of a driveway onto a main road.
Car parks are full of people manoeuvring at low speed - it's what car parks do. No one minds being held up, much.
But reversing into a driveway is a different matter. It's fine if there is no traffic when you arrive - it's an easy matter to stop in the road and then reverse in.
But if there is traffic following you, or you need to stop partly on the other side of the road in order to swing round, you will get blasted or cause an accident if you just stop and then try and reverse.
Going in forwards you just have to indicate then slow. Then when reversing out you can pick your moment when there is a gap in the traffic. Reversing in, you have no option over timing the manoeuvre.
Another point: If you reverse into a parking space there have to be wide gaps to allow access for trolleys etc to get to the back of the car, and also about a yard of space to get the tailgate open.
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Glad that Cliff Pope made his last point about trolley access. In my experience, reversing into a supermarket space means you have to drive out to load the car, to the inconvenience of all around.
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But we're not discussing supermarkets, are we, BTO? These people are coming to work and unloading, in most cases, a laptop bag and a packet of sandwiches.
Incidentally, I find the supermarket problem is best addressed as follows:
- reverse car onto drive at home;
- use computer to order grocery delivery;
- do something more useful till it arrives;
- thank delivery driver and put groceries away.
};---)
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But we're not discussing supermarkets are we BTO? These people are coming to work and unloading in most cases a laptop bag and a packet of sandwiches.
Its a disciplinary offence in our company not to put the laptop in the boot. And as I can't open the boot when I reverse in, I have to drive in to the space. Most of my colleagues do the same.
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Amazing how many numpties will walk behind a car even though it's displayting reversing lights!!
I have a reversing beeper and twin rev. lights and they still do it!I think some regard it as a challenge,I've a fair idea of who would come off worst.
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As others have said it's not uncommon to be instructed to park nose in where the car park abuts an office wall.
Not just black marks on the brickwork. In the days before hermetically sealed airconned buildings fumes coming through windows were an issue.
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We do that in the office where I work. Mostly its the summer months that are the problem because all the windows are wide open (no aircon) and if some fool ignores the signs and backs in we breathe their fumes for a good half hour afterwards. Its worse when a diesel fires up and we get a huge black cloud come wafting in.
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.... park nose in where the car park abuts an office wall.
>>... fumes coming through windows were an issue.
I always drive in and reverse out of my drive as I do not want fumes aimed at the house,
especially as SWMBO has breathing problems.
When I was motoring in Florida a few years ago I saw big signs saying in was against the law to reverse into parking spots. I suspect it was to protect pedestrians.
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its because they only have license plates on the back, and depity sherrif john crookedcop can crewze on by in his ford crown vic and check his kompewta.
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SSE are not the only company with this policy. I regularly visit the offices of a certain large transport company, and if you park front on to the building, the little man in the yellow jacket will be out of his gatehouse before you have reached the office doors. Hey Ho.
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I remember an incident in the early 80's at the very large chemical company I once worked at. There was a visit from a senior vice president of another chemical company renowned for a total dedication to safety. Said SVP arrives at head office with briefcase and overnight bag and was going up a flight of stairs to the boardroom. As he approaches the stairs, SVP puts overnight bag to one side, and walks up the stairs with his briefcase carefully holding the handrail. He then returns , in the same manner to fetch the overnight bag.
It made a huge impression on us and we all understood a little bit about why this company was the most safely operated company in the world.
When you deal with stuff that can cause immense damage, I would rather work for a company that puts safety first in everything they do, I now happily hold the handrail at all times and reverse park whenever possible.
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When the company I worked for took over another company with a US parent it was rumoured that we were going to be told to reverse park. The arguement I believe was that a child had been run over in the US by someone reversing out of a parking slot. Quite what that had to do with office parking where there shouldn't be any children about I don't know, but anyway it never came to pass.
There was also the occasion at another US company I worked for where the new (US) manager wanted to have everyone parked facing the same way. It looked neater. I believe personnel (as they were known then) talked him out of that one.
Funny things, people. Time for a Mk 2?
JH
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they are now of course called Human resources. We used to have "personel numbers", theu were renamed to "stock numbers". Our ID badge was renamed to "Inventory Marker"
I left before we go barcodes tattoed on our bums
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This is also the usual at all military bases and similar establishments where everyone has to display a car pass. This is always put in the front window then you reverse into the space so that any patrols can easily check the vehicle pass.
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ah but that's reasonable and logical. The others are just a passing whim. Or megalomania. Or elfin safety creating jobs for themselves and another excuse to shout at people.
JH
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Reverse Parking has become almost the standard for a LOT of big and not so big companies. H&S pink fluffy dice have evidence that it is safer- so there!
One of the few rules that they have brought in is to enforce wearing seatbelts ( international company) AND no employee shall drive and significant distance after completing a 8 or 12hr shift or when tired.
They meant it- when there was another road death that they attributed to tiredness they fired the local manager, the local H&S guy, the district manager and H&S guy, AND the country manager - heads rolled! and guess what, people paid attention after that.
must admit I dont have a problem with reverse parking but whats to stop you running over the idiot who walks behind you when you are parking!
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/01/2010 at 21:06
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Now this is corporate parking instructions
fillmed at IBM North Harbour car park
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbSdF_bVgmE&feature=related
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I worked for a company a few years ago who insisted the opposite - you were only allowed to park facing forwards!
Being a small car park, staff had to park 3 deep so being in early (as I always was) you ended up being blocked in by 2 other cars and were therefore last to leave. So I and a colleague started reverse parking in order to manoeuvre round the 2 parked cars when those either side had moved off, but after a short while our behaviour was reported to the management and we were both told in no uncertain terms that cars must be parked facing forward or our parking permits would be removed...
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Our company had the reverse in rule... until the day one of the techies was moving a fairly important server (the one that the executive secretaries used) to another building. He had to lay it down on the tarmac until he shifted his car out so that he could open the boot. Problem was - it was raining heavily and his car didn't start immediately. Server got very wet and.... went "bang" when he got to the other end and switched on.
The company how has a drive-in rule.
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The company how has a drive-in rule.
The company should have a "dont employ stupid techies" rule.
and a
"Business continuity and recovery rule"
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I drive in forwards, into a slot where my car's front is protected from damage by other vehicles. I'm more likely to be able to drive my car after rear-end damage than after front-end damage. When parking, I think about my car's health and safety.
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