Thread: Blind Side

Don't get me wrong, I most certainly believe in duty of care. However after having run ins with customers and getting reported I just gave up. Two of the best were:
1. a guy came in to the tool shop wanting a 300mm cut off blade for his 5" angle grinder. I tried to tell him how unsafe it was. His reply " I'm a tradie, I know what I'm doing", okay fine, here's your cut off blades. Told my coordinator what happened and got him to document it in a diary in case the guy came back minus an arm wanting to blame me for selling him inappropriate goods.
2, young guy comes up to me in electrical asking for a 15amp outlet. I couldn't help myself and asked him what he wanted it for. Seems his wife was a cleaning fanatic and wanted to clean behind the stove. His brilliant idea was to put a plug on the stove and plug it into the 15amp outlet. Got into a rather heated discussion over that one.

It's funny when these people complain about the bad customer service they leave details like these out.

Sorry to hijack your thread Handyjack, I'll get off my high horse now.

John, you might find that the "power point" for the stove could nearly be legal. I remember putting in a kitchen where the stove just plugged in to its own PP. It would have been on its own circuit though.

Our local building supplies company has told the yard staff that if they allow someone leave with a "bad load" the building supply company is liable should the driver have an accident.

Its only good practice to load a vehicle properly so you are not a danger to others. Common sense needs to be exercised but its getting uncommon in this day and age

Originally Posted by chambezio

John, you might find that the "power point" for the stove could nearly be legal. I remember putting in a kitchen where the stove just plugged in to its own PP. It would have been on its own circuit though.

Our local building supplies company has told the yard staff that if they allow someone leave with a "bad load" the building supply company is liable should the driver have an accident.

Its only good practice to load a vehicle properly so you are not a danger to others. Common sense needs to be exercised but its getting uncommon in this day and age

I'm talking about a hard wired stove on a 40/50 amp circuit.

We had this poster in the hut in the timber yard, still people wanted to argue. Most common answer was, "I'm only going round the corner".

overhang.jpg

I can see why they always ask "what are you after" not "what are you doing".

By not asking they dont know. Good policy.

It's a shame the law tries to make something as generic as a hardware store responsible for its customers actions. If a few more shows were on TV documenting emergency room visitations and deaths by DIY idiots - rather than those STUPID DIY shows showing "you can do it* " - we'd be all better off.

I've many stories, but this one took the cake - two old biddies were in the electrical section trying to buy two double power points. They didn't know what to get, were pressuring the floor guy to tell them how to install them and refused to buy a screw driver (they hadn't one). They refused his repeated exhortation to hire an electrician. They were going to use a kitchen knife to do up the wiring. I kid you not. They had NO idea that they needed to turn the power off at the fuse box and didn't know which fuse controlled which circuit. I absolutely kid you not. This is 100% true.




*. No. No you really can't.

I've never understood that VicRoads poster with regards to my ute. How much overhang at the rear of my Ute am I allowed? 150mm? "a little bit"?, none?

Originally Posted by Kuffy

I've never understood that VicRoads poster with regards to my ute. How much overhang at the rear of my Ute am I allowed? 150mm? "a little bit"?, none?

None. And using a flag doesn't make it legal.

Cheers John, that's what I thought but I am forever presented with examples of others having 1.5m out the back which makes me question if I am right or are they right...

But it goes both ways.

I went in to the tool shop at Bunnings to get a 5/8th" drill to bore a hole in some steel. The misfit who asked if she could help me tried to send me home with a 5/8th" timber auger bit. She still insisted it would do the job when I pointed out I wanted to drill steel and this was clearly marked as a wood tool. She said it would work on hardwood so steel would not be a problem.

Cheers

Doug

Why can a truck overhang with a flag but not a trailer?

When one says "no overhang" as in nothing, does this include the thickness of the rope? Yes, it's a belligerent question, but its the ancient problem of "the heap". If one must have the contents of a trailer contained entirely within it, how does one secure the load via outside hooks if the very ropes are considered its contents as well?

Originally Posted by doug3030

But it goes both ways.

I went in to the tool shop at Bunnings to get a 5/8th" drill to bore a hole in some steel. The misfit who asked if she could help me tried to send me home with a 5/8th" timber auger bit. She still insisted it would do the job when I pointed out I wanted to drill steel and this was clearly marked as a wood tool. She said it would work on hardwood so steel would not be a problem.

Cheers

Doug

I was monitoring the gate at the timber yard one day and a ford sedan pulls up to leave. Four big Islanders in the car with their arms out the windows hanging on to a 900x1800 solid timber benchtop. We've got tie-downs in aisle 7 I say, nah she'll be right bro was the answer.
Good luck with that one doing 80K's down the South Gippy Hwy.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

If one must have the contents of a trailer contained entirely within it, how does one secure the load via outside hooks if the very ropes are considered its contents as well?

Are the ropes considered contents?

The Maximum width of a vehicle (without getting into over size categories) is 2500mm including any tie downs.

In the old days it was 8ft 2 1/2inches whereby your load was 8ft leaving 2 1/2 inches for tie downs.

Keep in mind though, to see past this maximum width load your mirrors have to be wider than the maximum width!

Originally Posted by doug3030

But it goes both ways.

I went in to the tool shop at Bunnings to get a 5/8th" drill to bore a hole in some steel. The misfit who asked if she could help me tried to send me home with a 5/8th" timber auger bit. She still insisted it would do the job when I pointed out I wanted to drill steel and this was clearly marked as a wood tool. She said it would work on hardwood so steel would not be a problem.

perhaps she was referring to the "special" steel sometimes stocked by them

Originally Posted by artme

I notice that is Bunnings. Ithought stores had some duty of care in regard to long loads. I know the lo0cal Mitre 10 here, before it closed,
would not allow that sort of thing.

Nothing stopping the person who took the photo challenging the driver of the car. If that fails then get a shot of the car rego and deliver photos to your nearest cop shop and let them take care of it. Where I work we have a saying regarding obviously unsafe situations..."if you see it you own it"