elf and safety

[Heather]

Dont groan- you may drown me out!

We are in the 21st century and it seems we should have some health and safety formula for our out apiaries.
Our web site carries a disclaimer, but a visitor to an apiary may not have seen our web site. We have a member who is obviously in to this stuff and asks where is our risk assessment blah.
I know we have to be aware- I ran businesses with 100 staff etc so did that malarky, to conform to legislation - but sometimes that is what it was- how to lift, how to open a door and all that stuff - but for an out apiary where there will be bees....

Just what do you have at your out apiary?? Can you example something to keep all happy- bearing in mind I have committee members who are still in the 20th C who say these modern ideas are ruining the ethos of bee keeping.

 

[Polyanwood]

What a nightmare. I had a bit of this on the allotment.

I think you have a duty of care to put up a notice saying , ' Honey bees flying in this area. Enter at your own risk. You are advised to wear suitable protective clothing. ' And near the hives,' Bees may sting if approached.' 'Please do not touch the hives'.

In the Spring/ early summer I also had to put up notices about swarms... just in case (didn't have any) In case people tried to touch them. It made me feel I was treating people like they were stupid... but people quite liked the swarm notices at least.

 

[Somerford]

I'd tell him/her that if they are incapable of walking around a field, standing still, not touching what they aren't supposed to, able to drink a cup of tea and ensure it isn't too hot to burn their mouth, then frankly that they have no chance of becoming a beekeeper and they can *%$^ *ff ! (and if they know they are allergic to stings, then don't even bother!)

Bloody people !


I agree with your committee !


regards

S

 

[Dishmop]

(and if they know they are allergic to stings, then don't even bother!)

More likely allergic to common sense.

 

[Friar Tuck]

A Camel is a race horse designed by a committee

 

[stilllearning]

the trouble with common sense, is........................its not very common

 

[VEG]

Give them a verbal warning before every apiary visit this is what we used to do. They then enter at their own risk.

 

[fredbloggs]

Hello Heather

Have you carried out the same process for your association apiary? If you have then you only need to go through the same questions again with an out-apiary bias. For example if you have a first aid kit at your association apiary - you need qualified first aiders to mitigate your responsibility - or make a statement you don't have any? Before I too, get drowned in a chorus of "this didn't happen in my time blah blah & stuff", NO!, nor did the custom of suing the axxxx off anything that moved?

I fully sympathise the "20th Centuary" comment as having been turned inside out in a business environment by a BSI quality assessor (to gain ISO9002 accreditation) , i tried to explain to my (ex) committee why it was important to have all the answers to all the questions before you are asked them in a court of law by the plaintiffs barrister?

My (failing) memory is that the BBKA (eek!) published guidance to associations (circa 2002?) on how to prepare/deal with this very subject

Does any of the above help?


Debate.....


Regards

FB

 

[kermit]

I have had to write a risk assessment for the bees going onto an apiary at my secondary school. Surprisingly, the H&S guy from county was 'not averse' to bees on the site, so we have gone ahead with the project. They should be moving in early spring. I have also written a letter to go home for any kids wanting to get involved. It includes a bit saying that their child will get stung and it will hurt... No point in avoiding the subject.

If anyone wantds copies I can pm them once I'm back at work next week.

Dave

 

[VEG]

kermit to cover yourself you may have to notify all parents/guardians that bees are being kept at the school as you can bet that if someone does get stung and they find out after then it will be you they will come after. It is sad but true that H&S has in some cases gone too far but in other areas it has made some jobs a lot safer.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

What a nightmare. I had a bit of this on the allotment.

I think you have a duty of care to put up a notice saying , ' Honey bees flying in this area. Enter at your own risk. You are advised to wear suitable protective clothing. ' And near the hives,' Bees may sting if approached.' 'Please do not touch the hives'.

In the Spring/ early summer I also had to put up notices about swarms... just in case (didn't have any) In case people tried to touch them. It made me feel I was treating people like they were stupid... but people quite liked the swarm notices at least.

And surely there should be a notice fixed to each hive:

'WARNING: may contain angry bees'

 

[Polyanwood]

I did think they were joking at first.

This annoyed me more though........I try to keep in with the allotment people and I welcome them if they want to look inside the hives. I kit them up and tell them they might still be stung. One woman asked to lift a super to get an idea of how heavy work beekeeping was and then made a big fuss about her back and how she did not realise that it would be heavy (I had told her!) and then sort of joked about suing me. Except it was only half a joke. Horrible woman.

 

[Dishmop]

"Warning:-- May contain nuts"

 

[Hivemaker.]

"Warning:-- May contain nuts"

Especially if it's a bag of nuts..lol

 

[Heather]

Thanks for all that - I think

Got the one about a first aid kit- I will keep it hidden or I will get lumbered with that job too. Anyway the ice cubes melt in it!
(And at a meeting at my house one lass got a sting- no ice cube could be found so a helpful chap stuck a frozen chip on the sting area...)

I think I will make up a disclaimer - laminated and take to each out apiary meeting - we go to 5 different sites. They all do sign in so they can just read it before signing- that should cover us - and keep the H&S brigade happy.

Cheers all and a happy New Year- now don't drink too much and fall over someone- they could sue you-

 

[Poly Hive]

Two things to consider Heather.

The PUBLIC at large are as thick as two very thick planks. You just thought they were because most of your customers were medically confused. I KNOW because mine don't have that excuse.

Given point one then what you are proposing is essential. I would make your document some 18 point font then they canna say after the event "I didn't know what I was signing"

PH

 

[Dishmop]

"I didn't know what I was signing"

Thats why it should say, "I have read and fully understand"

 

[Teemore]

Carrying out risk assessments are part of what people need to be doing to give themselves a chance of raising a reasonable steps defence if they do end up with someone suing them. Basically you want to be able to demonstrate that you took all steps that are reasonable, given your resources and the given situation, to reduce or remove the risk of something adverse happening to an individual or individuals. As far as I am aware, for voluntary groups and small associations you basically consider a given situation or practice and evaluate whether there are potential risks. Then you consider whether there is anything you can do to reduce or remove the risk. Make a note of this, put it on a Risk Assessment file and make sure the measures you ID'd are put in place and actively monitored.
And yes, it is a great pity that in a litigious society people are compelled to nanny everyone else!

 

[kermit]

kermit to cover yourself you may have to notify all parents/guardians that bees are being kept at the school

Don't worry - got this planned by putting an article in the school newsletter. Thinking of also asking if any of the local farming community have some rape fields they want pollinating. Title 'WANTED - RAPE'.

Dave

 

[hedgerow pete]

you had better sit down before reading this one as iam off on one .

whilst i will answer the questions and messages further on

can i just point out that as someone who spends most of his working day dealing with elf and safety on building sites,

and that this thread should have been writen as STUPID IGNORATE COMMITEES not elf and safety. as there is so little to do with h&e and more to do with ***** commettie members not knowing what to do and dumpinit onto Heather

so lets deal with it one by one. all you need to do with any apairy is to have a simple risk assesment for it and if that goes over one page of papper your getting to pathetic with your risks.

these are the main risks for an out apairy starting from the begining. getting to it, getting around it, working on it and leaving it.

access to the hives,
what do you walk on and where, Its perfectly exceptable to have a mud path to the hives as long as you tell them its mud, you dont need a signsaying so if the person has been told and no you dont need to have a masssive induction lecture/form either for them to sign.

since it is blindingly plain to see you are going to the hives, may be you should just remind the people that it is up to them, as to when and where they put the protective suits on. i would suggest that if asked when tell them from thier home.

as for being alergic to bee stings i find that most people dont know if they are. thats why i personaly do get the bees to sting my new bees on day two just to find out.

you dont have to have a first aid kit there as long as everyone knows there is not one there , if your a beek and dealing with newbees and you dont have a £3 can of stingeze or bite eze in you tool tray than your a silly beek for being ignorant of the newbees health.

all i would do is a simple and quick risk assesment of the area and then staple it to the commites fore heads, sorry file in a safe place.

sorry but the idea of hiding a first aid box to me is ridiculous , it does not matter if you dont have a first aider there or not at least if some thing did happen then at the least the person involved can put a plaster on thier cut. knowing as i do some much about first aid and the law to have some thing is better than having nothing.

why not have a small kit under a hive roof one small one per apiary is easier than trying to get a big kit transported every time you need it.

someone on this thread posted about the fact that they had to stick signs every where at the allotment, can i just point out that a sign saying BEES is great and is perfect but if a lawer not a safety man is asked about it can i just point out that having a sign stating that there is a danger , ie" beware of the dog" you are acctually admitting liability because you are saying that you know the dog to be dangourus, its better to say " we have a dog" rather than beware.

i get the idea that at least 99.9% of all elf and safety problems are caused by committies who are trying to hide/cover backside/prevent legal issue and have realy nothing to do with any thing at all with H & S i post a video on this thread once i have found it to prove my point.

rant over and peace to all pete