Refusing unsafe work

Peter Bateman

In the Sept/Oct edition of Safeguard we pose three questions based on stories in the magazine. One of them is this:

Years ago, Duayne Cloke refused to climb a ladder to gain access to a roof and left the job the same day. Describe a time you declined to do a task you thought too risky. How did your refusal work out for you?

Feel free to respond here on the Forum, or privately here via a Survey Monkey form.

An edited selection of responses will be published in the Nov/Dec edition, but with no names attached. One randomly selected person will receive a prize, namely a copy of the book Are We Learning From Accidents? by Nippin Anand.

Murray Belchamber

I was an Apprentice Electrician in the 1960s. Everyone older than me had lived through the war, where they use to pin medals on those who exposed themselves to danger. When I refused to climb a ladder without a safety belt; the reaction was: "Yah scared of @@@##g heights yah p@!k?". When I tried to refuse to test the specific gravity of a lead-acid battery without safety goggles; the reaction was "I'm writing the results so do it." Sulphuric acid looks crystal clear as it flies towards your eyes.....

Refusing unsafe work

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