Health and safety gone mad

**Earl** · 30-05-2012, 07:08

Yeah, I hate that phrase, but this kind of thing pisses me off:

These were deemed to be walkers, cyclists and people on horses at the time - because motorcyclists should not have been on the trail.

He said that now when assessing risk, staff had to consider motorcyclists.

BBC News - Biker Jamie Roberts died after gate put across Taff Trail

If you read the full story a motorcyclist was killed when he hit a makeshift gate on a country trail. Fortunately for the farmer who installed it he isn't being held responsible, this time. He rightly argued that the motorbike shouldn't have been there, but they've still ruled that in future any health and safety assessment must include motorbikes, even though they're not even allowed to use the trail.

It's just another case of shifting responsibility, if you break the rules one of the consequences is you have to take responsibility for your own actions.

**jools182** · 30-05-2012, 07:15

Agreed

Your choice if you want to break the law. You have to take responsibility for yourself

**timey** · 30-05-2012, 08:19

Nah, I think it is right enough.

Recording her verdict, coroner Louise Hunt said motorcycles should not have been on the Taff Trail, but that the bar did not stand out and that other users of the trail could also be at risk because of its presence at the time.

She said that if it had been assessed as a risk on 1 July, it could have been removed before Mr Roberts got there on his motorcycle.

"The visibility of the bar was difficult for any user of the Taff trail, and it wasn't really safe for it to be there," she said.

Plus while I take the point about shifting responsibility, people often break the rules. I don't think the punishment should be that they should be seriously injured or killed. I suppose if at the time no-one thought a motorcyclist would use the path, then they might have a point, but if they had, then it would have to be taken into account. This was a simple one to have fixed, but it didn't happen in time due to inertia.

**Ben** · 30-05-2012, 11:02

People die, they do stupid things and die, it's not a punishment it's life (or death if you want) and it's the way it goes sometimes. Nobody did anything wrong except the motorcyclist, he didn't deserve to die but he did, shit happens.

**slaphead666** · 31-05-2012, 02:52

People die, they do stupid things and die, it's not a punishment it's life (or death if you want) and it's the way it goes sometimes. Nobody did anything wrong except the motorcyclist, he didn't deserve to die but he did, shit happens.

Couldn't have put it better meself.

**Major Starbold** · 31-05-2012, 21:18

He could have been shot.

**Earl** · 04-06-2012, 14:53

Slightly different scenario, but this twat was asking for it too.

article 2154354 1370D644000005DC 225 634x484 - Health and safety gone mad

article 2154354 1370D64C000005DC 679 634x406 - Health and safety gone mad

A motorcyclist feared he was going to die after two middle-aged walkers garrotted him with a dog lead by stretching it across his path.

Medics told Chris Richmond he could have been decapitated by the lead after he was taken to hospital with burns and bruising on his neck.

The factory worker, of Newton Heath, Manchester, was left in shock and unable to breathe.

Police are seeking a man and a woman for the attack, which they are treating as grievous bodily harm.

The attack happened after Mr Richmond, 23, and two friends approached some teenagers who were riding a green 125cc motorbike on grass in the Failsworth area of the city.

He and his friends asked for a turn on the bike. He believes he was travelling at about 20mph when he hit the lead.

He said: 'I remember the woman giving me a dirty look beforehand, as if to say, "You shouldn’t be doing that".

'Perhaps I shouldn’t have been but that was no way to react. You don’t expect that from middle-aged people.

'They could have called the police and they would have moved us on.

Motorcycle rider, 23, garrotted by dog lead strung across his path | Mail Online

**timey** · 04-06-2012, 15:18

Not a good reason to injure someone though. Surely, if people do stupid things then they should expect to take responsibility if they are injured, but not if it was done maliciously as in this case. I don't condone their actions at all.