It Another Belter From The Elf N Safetee Wombles.......

[ToraToraTora]

Most days I walk to work via a local shopping centre to buy my lunch in ASDA. The centre is organised on 2 floors most of the shops including ASDA are on the first floor with the top level of a 2 level car park in front. Now I arrive on the ground floor and climb a stair well to the top, buy what I want and walk down another stair well and off to work. Now this week the stair wells have been taped off so I have had to walk up the road where the cars go. Still puzzled as to why, today I manage to see some Hi Vis wombles and ask them why they are taped off. “it’s cold, people may slip” was the reply. My assertion that walking up where the cars go was considerably more dangerous seemed to pass over their rather empty heads! Is every stair well in the country to be taped off? YCMIU!

[ludwig]

It's more to do with avoiding litigation than it is about employing pointless wombles. For 'risk assesment' read 'risk of being sued assessment'.

If they didn't tape the stairs off there'd be busloads of chavs slipping down them, suffering mysterious whiplash and back injuries, and suing the council accordingly.

You can ignore the tape if you like, but their 4rss is covered if you do.

[mushroom25]

to be strictly pedantic, asda isn't an acronym in the way that acronyms are generally understood - it's a contraction of Asquith and Dairies, a name the company acquired in 1965.

[Canary42]

Once again the admirable Health and Safety Executive get the blame for the phenomenum which is nothing to do with them.

It's all the fault of the No Win No Fee Blame-and-claim Lawyers who prey upon gullible/vulnewrable folk at every opportunity, thereby creating a climate of fear amongst all those providing facilities/entertainment/etc for Joe Public.

The H&S persecution of course is just propaganda encouraged by these Legal Vultures who don't want this spotlight on their despicable money-grabbing activities.

[Canary42]

*vulnerable

[Svejk]

I was expecting that^ strictly pedantic post from RandyMarsh. You've let me down, mushroom.

[Retrochic]

I do risk assessments for Oh's business and its got very little to do with health and safety. Its got to do with covering your ass in case John Doe gets banged on the head when not wearing a hat or Wayne gets clocked with a forklift because he's plugged into Motorhead on his phone.

[ToraToraTora]

doesn't matter what the letters comprising "ASDA" is, it's clear from the post that they are just one of many retailers in the shopping centre.

[Old_Geezer]

Hmmm if the car park is the Centre's and not ASDA's, then so should the stairs be too. And so should the liability to make the stairs safe. The Wombles must be Centre staff then. Even so, slipping on stairs or slipping on slopes, still the same liability surely.

[Retrochic]

Old_Geezer, I think you may sustain more serious injuries falling down a fight or stairs than slipping on a road. Plus the main danger on the road would be the cars and they would be liable if they ran you over.

[Zacs-Master]

Oh well, that's OK then.

[RandyMarsh]

I disagree, you were heading to ASDA, you mention asda twice and for me it was a natural assumption that they were the ones forcing you to take another route.

Not sure why Svejk feels let down. :(

[ToraToraTora]

yes retro, cold comfort if you are squashed though.

[Old_Geezer]

It's more likely to happen on a slope than a flat step, especially if the stairs have a handrail. I'm unsure about liability. You slide down and under the car as it carefully makes it's way up the slope, are drivers still the scapegoat ? Yeah probably, they are an easy target for blame aren't they. Anything happens, it's the driver's fault, they pay.