Reply to: chair training - I sheet you not

[Dark Black]

At the current gig I recently had an email request to do some kind of "online" H&S training thing... apparently they wanted all contractors to do it..

Needless to say I've ignored the request - if asked I'll just tell them to contact the H&S officer at my co who will politely but firmly tell them it's not required

That sort of thing is for permies....

[darmstadt]

If you work at a certain MoD site you can put a help desk ticket in to have your desk raised or lowered to suit your posture, there was one guy whose back was so bad he didn’t want to sit at all, his desk was 4ft high.

A lot of places I've worked in at Germany, the people have those big balls to sit on or weird orthopedic style chairs. The last gig a lot of people worked standing up most of the time with desks that went up and down at the touch of a button. Naturally as contractors we never got such treatment in fact most of the places I've worked at I've had to make do with what I've been given. At Porsche I worked in a cellar by myself full of crap with an old wheelie chair, battered up desk and an old green screen. Mind you. I spent most of the time with my feet up reading a book or browsing through the crap in the cellar (found quite a few interesting photos and mock-ups of the cars they were planning on making.)

[TimberWolf]

I hope they cover how to fall off a chair too. It's actually quite simple once you get the technique right.

[Sysman]

If you work at a certain MoD site you can put a help desk ticket in to have your desk raised or lowered to suit your posture, there was one guy whose back was so bad he didn’t want to sit at all, his desk was 4ft high.

That sounds an excellent idea to me. There was one contract where the desks were too low and it was most uncomfortable.

[BrowneIssue]

<H&S MODE>I've performed chair training before.

[snip explanation]

</H&S MODE>

Thank you.

[PM-Junkie]

....The guys injury wasn't work related, but he couldn't sit down for any length of time.

Mind working overtime here. I wonder what could have happened to his posterior region that would stop him sitti...

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't go there

[thelace]

If you work at a certain MoD site you can put a help desk ticket in to have your desk raised or lowered to suit your posture, there was one guy whose back was so bad he didn’t want to sit at all, his desk was 4ft high.

Yep, I've had to have one workstation set up like a shelf.

The guys injury wasn't work related, but he couldn't sit down for any length of time. The human body evolved into a fine machine for hunting/gathering, it hasn't had time to adapt to the inactivity we're now heaping on it.

My advice to all "disk jockeys" (anyone classed as a user under the DSE regs) is to have at least one activity in their week, be it high impact (squash/aerobics) or something low impact like yoga that involves lots of stretching.

[gingerjedi]

If you work at a certain MoD site you can put a help desk ticket in to have your desk raised or lowered to suit your posture, there was one guy whose back was so bad he didn’t want to sit at all, his desk was 4ft high.

[thelace]

Actually, you may jest....but as someone who has been through the joy of multiple back operations over the last 10 years, and all the fun treatment that goes with it, I know first hand what awaits us poor fools who sit at desks all day, when we reach our dotage. It really is quite scary. Us monkeys ain't supposed to be sitting on chairs....we ain't designed for it

My surgeon told me that we should be getting up and walking around at least every 15 minutes. Yeah, like that is ever going to happen!

So I actually think this is highly commendable. Maybe more companies should take this sort of interest in peoples' well-being.

<H&S MODE>

I've performed chair training before.

Modern chairs have levers, buttons and paddles. How do you know you've got yours set up properly? By showing people how to set up their chairs to suit them so the lumbar support, height reach and rake are set up correctly it can have a considerable difference on how comfortable a chair can be.

The difference was once described to me as "now like driving a BMW instead of a Fiat Panda".

Ask around the office! A straw poll to see who is suffering/has suffered with their back?

Then ask clientco for a DSE assessment on your work station. If they do it correctly, you'll find that it's far more comfortable and you feel less fatigued at the end of the day.

And yes, you should get up and move around every 30 minutes. Doesn't have to be far (make coffee, have a stretch and a chat, use the loo). The reasons being twofold. The movement will both exercise the muscles which will start to atrophy and allow your blood to circulate and remove the toxins. It also has the benefit of reducing eye strain as it means that you're using your eyes to focus on different focal lengths (eyes don't like to look at the same spot for hours on end) which reduces the onset of headaches, etc.

As for lift training unless there's a major change in the operation of the lift, it's just someone ticking boxes to cover their ar$es.

The strangest request for training I've ever had was on having new soap dispensers installed, MANAGEMENT wanted me to train people in how to use them properly.

(The answer was no of course!)

</H&S MODE>

[OwlHoot]

Must not ask 'is anyone going down?' in a lift full of pretty honeys

[darmstadt]

It cracks me up going to the UK, especially in the speaking lifts. 'Doors closing,' '1st floor' and so on and when going to companies where I'm shown where all the emergency exits are, where this and that is and what to do in the case of something but not shown where the toilets are (which is mighty important.)

I've done one of those sitting down courses as we had a spate of chairs exploding due to people whomping into them from a height!

My current gig I turned up and the manager had forgotten about me and didn't recognise my name or who I was until he saw me! Shown the office where I'm to sit in, got some system access and thats it. No security pass to get in and out, just a nod at the guy on the door and I'm in. Took me 3 days to find the bog and still don't know where the fire exit is (in fact don't even know what I'm meant to be doing as no-one talks to me aor even knows I'm there.)

[PM-Junkie]

Actually, you may jest....but as someone who has been through the joy of multiple back operations over the last 10 years, and all the fun treatment that goes with it, I know first hand what awaits us poor fools who sit at desks all day, when we reach our dotage. It really is quite scary. Us monkeys ain't supposed to be sitting on chairs....we ain't designed for it

My surgeon told me that we should be getting up and walking around at least every 15 minutes. Yeah, like that is ever going to happen!

So I actually think this is highly commendable. Maybe more companies should take this sort of interest in peoples' well-being.

[BoredBloke]

Current client co is having the lifts refurbished this year.

Once done, there will be 'lift training' for everyone.

Wonder if it will include lift etiquette such as:

Don't break wind
Must not make eye contact with others
etc

Remember to ask what each of the buttons do - should be good if there are a lot of floors. When they have been through them all, ask them what 5 does again etc

I got told off on my last week at BP for not following the company procedure relating to the correct use of the stairs because I was on my mobile and not holding the rail. This short @rsed bloke, who was sat down having his lunch at the time, stood up to tell me how I was being irresponsible. Had I not been still on the phone I'd have told him where to go. And this from a company who let their refineries explode!

[BrowneIssue]

Ja a whole 30 minutes learning how to sit down. I don't get paid enough for this...

I am going to ask a really, really silly question. I genuinely cannot tell what you are getting at.

Are you just making a joke because of how they worded their email? That is, are they in fact saying they are going to be walking around and spending 30 minutes with each person checking they are OK with some new system?

It is just a word-play joke on your part, isn't it?

[DimPrawn]

When people try to barge in, I just stand there, smile and don't move until they let me out.


All these silly training sessions are because of the claim culture we have these days, lawyers and their scumbag clients are finding ever more ways to fall over, have an accident, etc. from something not covered in H&S training . Soon they will have training for those emotionally damaged by training sessions. What a spineless nation we have become

Your negativity has really depressed me. I'm suing your arse..