Thread: National Trades mans day

Well I would rather see that add on TV warts and all, then the bloody constant election ads...

Originally Posted by .RC.

Well I would rather see that add on TV warts and all, then the bloody constant election ads...

I would suggest not watching TV....but then there are adds on the radio. And you have to drive round here blind fold if you want to avoid all the roadside signs....Can't go into shopping centers for fear of being accosted. Bloody mad

The OHS thing has gone crazy. All the situations i have seen have been a simple blame game. No one takes any responsibility any more. Worker get injured (most likely doing something stupid, i have seen that more times than not) blames company for not enough training, lack of PPE, signage etc. Company blames OHS contractor for not training staff properly or recommending the right signage etc. OHS contractor says he did everything as per government regulation and then blames government for not regulating better. Etc etc.
No wonder we don't make anything any more.....

Ew

Which reminds me Ewan - I had to use a screwdriver as a chisel to open that box of yours - but it's alright because there's an ad on telly that shows that it is alright to use them that way!

I always used to get annoyed at Mythbusters because invariably when welding they would not be wearing the right PPE. There are somethings that are bad practice because they damage things - using vice grips instead of a spanner, using a screwdriver instead of a chisel. However, I do object to seeing people using equipment that can result in (medical) harm to themselves or other - typically welding or using power tools without appropriate PPE. It really does set a bad example for those who don't know any better.

Michael
(I didn't really use a screw driver like a chisel)

Originally Posted by Michael G

Which reminds me Ewan - I had to use a screwdriver as a chisel to open that box of yours - but it's alright because there's an ad on telly that shows that it is alright to use them that way!

Just making sure it was courier proof

A removalist came into our workshop one day and said they had damaged a dining table and wondered if we could fix it.....whats happened to it? i asks. Removalist says, oh we damaged it getting off the truck, its in 11 bits, at least i think we got them all.....

I did not trust transport companies much already. You could imagine what that did to my opinion of them.

Ew

Originally Posted by Ueee

I would suggest not watching TV....but then there are adds on the radio. And you have to drive round here blind fold if you want to avoid all the roadside signs....Can't go into shopping centers for fear of being accosted. Bloody mad

The OHS thing has gone crazy. All the situations i have seen have been a simple blame game. No one takes any responsibility any more. Worker get injured (most likely doing something stupid, i have seen that more times than not) blames company for not enough training, lack of PPE, signage etc. Company blames OHS contractor for not training staff properly or recommending the right signage etc. OHS contractor says he did everything as per government regulation and then blames government for not regulating better. Etc etc.
No wonder we don't make anything any more.....

Ew

The Lawyers make a packet.

Oh I love OH&S overkill/underkill. I remember many years ago I worked for Telstra in an office, a safe office, where nothing was really out to kill you. I was attending a meeting in another company building when I learnt that my brother had been injured by a fire at work. He was a welder in a camper trailer manufacturer. He worked in a poorly managed environment where paint thinners were stored too close to his welding area (the boss was planning on fixing it). He was working alone early in the morning so he could leave early and somehow (he doesn't remember), knocked a drum over covering his legs with thinners which then ignited. He put himself out in a puddle, called his own ambulance and then spent a few weeks in the Alfred Burns Unit. Serious burns to his hands, face and legs. Hands and face recovered well and he needed large skin grafts on his legs. I visited him many times and watched how painful the recovery was and how amazing the Alfred staff are. He attempted to return to work eventually but the psychological damage was worse than the physical and he soon realised he could never weld again. Lost his job. Never again wore shorts. Pretty versatile bloke fortunately so he moved into farming and is doing fine.

Anyway, back to Telstra.

After his first surgery on day one, I returned to the Telstra building to collect my things and went to the bathroom. I was washing my hands and read in detail the A4 safety sheet stuck on the wall next to the soap dispenser. The A4 sheet was an OH&S requirement for all "chemicals" used, including the highly deadly hand soap! Normally I love irony but on that day it just made me mad. My brother had been asking for months for a clearer workspace and the boss had repeatedly talked about grand plans for reorganising the factory, but never did it. At Telstra I was not permitted to buy a different brand of dishwashing liquid because it wasn't covered by the A4 safety sheet. My brothers work had never been inspected for safety. Telstra office staff had to meet to discuss safety every week. My brothers work had another fire 3 weeks after his injury. Anyway you get the picture.

Danny

Originally Posted by Michael G

Which reminds me Ewan - I had to use a screwdriver as a chisel to open that box of yours - but it's alright because there's an ad on telly that shows that it is alright to use them that way!

I've been quilty of that. I keep a set of thru-shank scewdrivers in reserve. Normally only about 4 times a year, but on cover plates of machine gear box's. Allway's from some one that has failed to read that the original Dow Corning Silastic says ADHESIVE / Sealant on the tube. Iv'e nearly needed log-spiltters to get some covers off.

Phil.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Their US site showing the same sort of trailer shows a bloke using vice grips on a nut on a Bridgeport mill of all things.

That exact add caused a furor on the American web site Practical Machinist.
Irwin Tools should be ashamed of themselves
So they noticed it also. I was broadcast during some big race.

Regards Phil.

I haven't seen the offending ad - with an election on my TV watching has gone down from around 1/2 hour per week to _.
However, if people think it shows unsafe practices, how about contacting these guys -
adstand.jpg

My computer here at home spits when I try using that web address but there is a phone number too. If several people complain at least it will be brought to Irwin's attention that it is not a tradesman like effort.

Michael

I sent the email yesterday pointing out the anomalies regarding safety

I also asked if Irwin have a OHWS policy.

at this present moment, I have not had a reply.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Their US site showing the same sort of trailer shows a bloke using vice grips on a nut on a Bridgeport mill of all things.

Irwin Tools TV Commercial, 'National Tradesmen Day' - iSpot.tv

Same advertisers perhaps?

Grahame

yep...must be same advertising agency....god help us from these morons

reply from Irwin Australia

Richard – thank you for your valuable feedback.

IRWIN Tools, as part of the Newell Rubbermaid group, have a Health and Safety policy as it relates to a corporate environment. Worksite attendance for IRWIN Tools employees is not a common practice and we are dependent on site officials to ensure we and the tradespeople working on the site are following safe work practice. Based on your knowledge it would seem that OHWS procedures were not always being practiced or enforced on the sites we visited.

I can appreciate your strong views on this subject as safety in the workplace should not be taken lightly. It is a shame, however, that this video, capturing real tradies, performing real jobs, on a real jobsite contains un-staged content that has offended you enough to lose sight of the general messaging and genuine intention of National Tradesmen Day.

While we can’t be accountable for how tradespeople go about their work, we will make a conscious effort to only represent workers adhering to OHWS procedures in future materials. This will most likely involve inviting the services of an OHWS expert whenever entering a jobsite.

I agree that as a professional tool company it is important that we reflect correct work procedures across all of our marketing materials. We will set about making edits to this video immediately to remove these references.

Again, thank you for bringing these errors and/or omissions to our attention.

Thanks,

David Watkins
Marketing Communications and Events Manager

Newell Rubbermaid
500 Princes Highway
Locked Bag 5002
Noble Park VIC 3174
Australia
T: +61 (0)3 8762 4200
F: +61 (0)3 8762 4202
E: [email protected]

Hmm... video withdrawn by user?

Never underestimate the power of the wayward mullet....

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Hmm... video withdrawn by user?

Never underestimate the power of the wayward mullet....

Regards
Ray

he did say he was going to edit the video...he was quick..

makes on wonder how many complaints he had? ..other than those of us from here