Any H&S legal type guru's out there? Need some advice.

[stuartpaul]

Anyone running a business can do as thay damn well please EXCEPT when they employ another or allow another to enter their workplace.

............And another thing CE marks are not worth the labels they are printed on.

That just simply isn't true. You need to look closely at the Health & Safety at Work Act but it does cover all work related situations.

If you want to know how it describes work then look at section 52.

You are however, dead right about CE marking. :wink:

 

[cambournepete]

It chopped the end off the index finger and tore the flesh clean off the end of the second finger and left me trapped.

Starting to fell sick now...

I had to give instructions to the tool maker as to how to open the machine, when he did so I took my hand out, held it up and commented, 'I reckon I've lost those!',... and he passed out! :lol:

LOL indeed!
Glad it wasn't more serious - makes me feel like the amateur I am routing the end of my finger

 

[cambournepete]

There's a basic rule here that I always adhere to and that's to never retrieve anything from the saw until the blade has stopped spinning. Same with a router, you never ever remove it from a cut until the bit has stopped.

Very sensible advice.
My Festool router is braked, and I'd not really thought much about it until now.

 

[Finial]

Section 3(2) of the Act:

It shall be the duty of every self-employed person to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that he and other persons (not being his employees) who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety.

In general I believe the only exemptions for self employed people are the welfare requirements, for example not having to heat the workshop or provide lavatories.

CE marking is applied by the manufacturer based on his own safety assessment. Often that assessment will be worth something and the marks are worth checking for, but as far as I know there is very little monitoring.

 

[Tim Nott]

You wear a crash helmet for woodworking?

Hmm I agree with all that is said you can do what you like, but it will not be long before things change I guess. An example is the crash helmet. We are in a nanny state I am afraid. Mind you a crash helmet is common sense I use one.

I can't use a dado head on my French-bought machine as a) I can't find one, and b) the spindle won't acoomodate a blade more the about 6mm thick, Which is daft as it would be a lot less dangerous (and fail safe to the workpiece) than doing the same cut with grooving cutters on the spindle moulder