'Dynamic'
So you thought that the Rule Book was, er, a book of rules that you have to follow? We thought so too, but it seems that we might have been wrong.
Apparently, a Rostered Duty Officer (a what?) can bend the rules if s/he carries out a "dynamic risk assessment" in "real time". At least, that's the explanation that management finally came up with to justify an incident ealier this year when a faulty Picc line train was propelled from the rear with no direct communication between the people at the rear and at the front.
If any manager tells you to do something unsafe and quotes "dynamic risk assessment", then remember your right to refuse on safety grounds. And while Tubeworker would obviously never condone breaking safety rules, we'd suggest that if a member of staff does do something wrong, management will only have themselves to blame if that staff member claims in their defence to have made a "dynamic risk assessment".
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Issinoho Ask for written
Issinoho
Ask for written intructions on what the "Rostered Duty Officer" is asking you to carry out and get them to sign it. This makes them liable for for any "errors" that may arise. If they refuse do not do what they are asking you to do if you feel it could be dangerous or falls outside of your remit.
Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires that employers and those who control workplaces to any extent must identify the hazards in the workplaces under their control and assess the risks to safety and health at work presented by these hazards.
Employers must examine and write down these workplace risks and what to do about them. Ultimately, assessing risk means that anything in the workplace that could cause harm to your employees, other employees and other people (including customers, visitors and members of the public) must be carefully examined. This allows you to estimate the magnitude of risk and decide whether the risk is acceptable or whether more precautions need to be taken to prevent harm.
Employers are required to implement any improvements considered necessary by the risk assessment. The aim is to ensure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill.
However, it is important to remember that, in identifying hazards and assessing risks, employers should only consider those which are generated by work activities. There is no need to consider every minor hazard or risk that we accept as part of our lives.
The results of any risk assessments should be written into the safety statement.
So far as I can see, there is nothing written down in The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 that allows employers to bypass the changing of the safety statement without going through due process. In my 32+ plus years, the employer, generally one of his managers, knows nothing about carrying out risk assessments properly and should be treated with kid gloves. If you are in doubt about what you are being asked to do, don't do it. Contact a safety rep for advice.
Cheers
Thanks for that. Useful info.