Where's me job, M Rabbott?

[old man emu]

Turboplanner,

 

I was just making a social commentary, and didn't think that it would go viral. However, if you have gone out of your way to get some information that would benefit me, I thank you. I'd never knock back the offer of a job. At the moment I'm getting a bit of cabin fever - not because of a week of most welcome rain, but because I think I've completed the Old Ma Emu's "To Do" list.

 

Gnarly Gnu,

 

The law should be the same in SA as it is in NSW. Here it says that the tests must be carried out by a "competent" person. That competency can come from either being an electrical tradesman, or, as in my case, by doing a Nationally recognised course and being issued with a traceable ID number. The reason that businesses don't comply with the law is that it is not policed, and it's a case of "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt." Then any reporting of a prosecution would get lost on page 27 of the local rag. If there is no financial risk to a business, why would they fork out to have it done. I have often door-knocked looking for business to be told "We have someone who comes in and does it." Then I look at the electrical cords and damned if I can see a tag.

 

OME

 

 

[Bob Llewellyn]

Exactly, Doug.

We get the politicians we deserve and we get far too many of them. We live in a wonderful country called Australia and we cling to the anachronistic notion of individual autonomous states, each with its own bigotry and parochialism, while our total national population doesn't add up to that of one state in the USA.

 

Do away with the States and introduce national and regional government...get rid of local governments, too. Cut the number of politicians in half to. allow us to offer a decent salary to those who then win majority votes. Leaves enough over to pay better pensions to those in the community who need them, too.

 

I'll be 70 in a few weeks OME. Nearly 20 years ago I was in the middle of a humongous breakdown and thought I'd never work again. I tried to ensure that by making a couple of rather stupid attempts to end my life. Someone reached out and made me feel worthwhile again and for that I am very grateful. I commenced a whole new career (law) and now work. 50+ hours per week trying to sort the legal issues of the most vulnerable in our community. Pay is a bit ordinary but, hey, I'm working. And I get a lot of satisfaction from doing it.

 

Hang in there mate. Get out and talk to people. Build networks. Show you are interested. Think about starting a small business yourself. A job will happen.

 

Best wishes

 

Kaz

Kaz, I'm with you - let's cut all our pollies in half

 

ps glad the lifestyle's coming together! (c.f. Douglas Adams)

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

tag-n-test. Just another money spinner.

 

 

[coljones]

tag-n-test. Just another money spinner.

Tag-n-test? It is actually Test and Tag - you should always test first. Just another way of proving that the cheap cables you just bought, or were provided, are safe. If the one you bought, or was provided, was cross wired you might end up dead. Seeing that most cables are interchangeable, the tags will tell you which ones are safe.

 

 

[Downunder]

Tag-n-test? It is actually Test and Tag - you should always test first. Just another way of proving that the cheap cables you just bought, or were provided, are safe. If the one you bought, or was provided, was cross wired you might end up dead. Seeing that most cables are interchangeable, the tags will tell you which ones are safe.

Yes but does it need redoing every 3 months?............Perhaps once, when new, is enough.......

 

 

[coljones]

Yes but does it need redoing every 3 months?............Perhaps once, when new, is enough.......

Leads take a beating but once when new, once when moving premises (for the idiot movers who pull the leads rather than the plugs) and then periodically depending on the environment - computers in an office can go for up to 5 years without the need for a retest. rental equipment, much more frequently for obvious reasons.

 

 

[metalman]

I'm definatly not a sparky,but, I don't recall hundreds of deaths from bad leads , I can't actually recall ever seeing anyone lit up after 35 years in workshops and building sites, I'm sure it's happened but it just never seemed to be a huge problem. Also I may be wrong , but doesn't an RCD stop you getting a hit ? When your in business it gets pretty tiring when the "test n tag" people are followed by the fire extinguisher guy ,followed by the first aid box people , then the OH&S scammers do the rounds, then some goose from the Guvmint decides to have a visit !

 

I had zero claims( or serious accidents) for ten years but my premiums quadrupled in that time , on top of paying for someone else retirement, but of course no one is paying for mine, for me now I'll will never employ another person, ever , it just isn't worth the hassle , I do however take my hat off to those that can make money employing people .

 

Being in business and employing is bloody hard work, I'm still self employed but with no employees all the money grabbers can get stuffed,

 

Matty

 

 

[gareth lacey]

Matty

 

i agree , to date where i work as workshop manager , we have spent (12 months) $12000 on leads and equipment test and tag , most if not all did not require to be tested , its a whos system gone mad , this is getting out of hand , i am all for safety , but who dreams these systems up ? we are wrapping ourselves up in cotton wool, i spend 20% of my time dealing with "so called safety issues" meetings on safety , i now am more liable than for safety i am the one who will be sued , general safety issues i agree with , but the silliest one is step ladders , unless you have 2 hands on (how are you supposed to work ala sparky, plumbers, installers ) you cannot work more than 2 steps /rungs up it goes on , cost to businesses is way to much, I must accompany any injured person to the doctors /hospital for the slightest injury safety is in the workers hands it is becomeing a huge impost on small business to comply if i were self employed again i would never employ people insurance is a rip off , i never made a claim in 25 years but the cost went up every year why should i pay for all the other unsafe people. My rant for the day

 

cheers Gareth

 

 

[metalman]

I'm definatly not a sparky,but, I don't recall hundreds of deaths from bad leads , I can't actually recall ever seeing anyone lit up after 35 years in workshops and building sites, I'm sure it's happened but it just never seemed to be a huge problem. Also I may be wrong , but doesn't an RCD stop you getting a hit ? When your in business it gets pretty tiring when the "test n tag" people are followed by the fire extinguisher guy ,followed by the first aid box people , then the OH&S scammers do the rounds, then some goose from the Guvmint decides to have a visit !I had zero claims( or serious accidents) for ten years but my premiums quadrupled in that time , on top of paying for someone else retirement, but of course no one is paying for mine, for me now I'll will never employ another person, ever , it just isn't worth the hassle , I do however take my hat off to those that can make money employing people .

 

Being in business and employing is bloody hard work, I'm still self employed but with no employees all the money grabbers can get stuffed,

 

Matty

I'd just like to add, if your business is one of the ones I had a go at please don't take it personal, it was meant to be a general whinge at lots of stuff,,,,

 

Matty

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

I still say it's a money spinner. Been in the electrical and electronics industry for over forty years, I'm not entirely stupid, despite what some may think. All the risk assessments, work health and safety procedures, rules and regulations and whatever that have been installed over the last twenty or more years have barely made a dent in the overall numbers of deaths and injury to workers. Why? Because idiots will always be idiots be it the worker doing the wrong thing or the business owner trying to save a buck. Where I work, brand new power cords are binned if they do not have a tag on them and the pencil sharpener can only be operated by those that have done and passed the three day pencil sharpener course. (The last comment about the pencil sharpener is a blatant lie)

 

 

[Bob Llewellyn]

I still say it's a money spinner. Been in the electrical and electronics industry for over forty years, I'm not entirely stupid, despite what some may think. All the risk assessments, work health and safety procedures, rules and regulations and whatever that have been installed over the last twenty or more years have barely made a dent in the overall numbers of deaths and injury to workers. Why? Because idiots will always be idiots be it the worker doing the wrong thing or the business owner trying to save a buck. Where I work, brand new power cords are binned if they do not have a tag on them and the pencil sharpener can only be operated by those that have done and passed the three day pencil sharpener course. (The last comment about the pencil sharpener is a blatant lie)

...a five day course, in fact! :o) Someone said "you can't legislate against stupidity..."; but our pollies are willing to give it a try... and if it doesn't work, try harder! Our tax dollars at work...

 

 

[turboplanner]

and the pencil sharpener can only be operated by those that have done and passed the three day pencil sharpener course. (The last comment about the pencil sharpener is a blatant lie)

It's called an ATO (Authority To Operate), and ensures that within a few seconds an employer has written confirmation of an employees skill standard, so an either give him a job with an immediate start, no special supervision required, give him training, or employ someone who has the required qualifications.

 

It's way better than asking someone if they can use a pencil sharpener (let's be more realistic and say Wood Chipper) and being told "Yeh mate, been doin it all me life" and coming back ten minutes later to find just a pair of legs left in the hopper.

 

In this example, Queensland Transport know exactly the capabilities of the transport operator without leaving their office, much less taxpayers money spent than sending a patrol car to the dept, having a cup of coffee and spending an hour jawboning.

 

https://www.support.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/formsdat.nsf/forms/QF4042/$file/F4042_ES.pdf

 

Farming property owners are particularly vulnerable because of their high rate of accidents and the ATO is a huge step forward in risk reduction/insurance cost etc. If someone comes on to the property to cut down trees, and they have an ATO, there's no argument about safety.

 

Don't do yourselves out of jobs just because you don't like change.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I still say it's a money spinner. Been in the electrical and electronics industry for over forty years, I'm not entirely stupid, despite what some may think. All the risk assessments, work health and safety procedures, rules and regulations and whatever that have been installed over the last twenty or more years have barely made a dent in the overall numbers of deaths and injury to workers. Why? Because idiots will always be idiots be it the worker doing the wrong thing or the business owner trying to save a buck. Where I work, brand new power cords are binned if they do not have a tag on them and the pencil sharpener can only be operated by those that have done and passed the three day pencil sharpener course. (The last comment about the pencil sharpener is a blatant lie)

 

This is why they have the Darwin awards...natural selection by intelligence

 

 

[Marty_d]

This is why they have the Darwin awards...natural selection by intelligence

Trouble is, it takes no intelligence to breed early, thereby negating the effect.

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

Trouble is, it takes no intelligence to breed early, thereby negating the effect.

Yes, this why we see little kids dying or living in the most filthy environments imaginable. That's deinstitutionalization for you.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Yes, this why we see little kids dying or living in the most filthy environments imaginable. That's deinstitutionalization for you.

Kids have been dying for centuries, nothing new there.

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

Kids have been dying for centuries, nothing new there.

I think you know what I mean...

 

 

[dazza 38]

I think you know what I mean...

I call it breeding like rabbits in countries that have no future. (3 rd countries come to mind)