Health & Safety Requirements, processors and young people.

[Dan Curtis]

I did only mean for the task at hand. And he is a third generation tree man so maybe he'd know a bit more than other people his age?i know a lot of people who are qualified but far from competent!

[agrimog]

at the end of the day, do YOU feel happy and confident in the lad working the proccesor, and does he feel happy, if this is the case go for it, As ive stated on here before HSE rules are ADVISORY and very few are actualy legaly enforcable i mean where does it state in law you cannot operate a tractor pto till you are 18? what about all the young farmers working on the land, I know i was running pto driven kit as soon as i could connect the shafts, but back before 1998 we were expected to have that strange thing called COMMON SENSE that the jobsworths seem to think doesnt apply now, ask the lad if he knows about the dangerous bits on the kit, and to show you, if he can then hes good to go

[combined tree services]

another idea may be to consult with who ever you have taken employers and public liabilitty out with and see if there are any age exclusions/ resrictions or if you may need to change the level/type of cover that you have in place .

[easy-lift guy]

agrimog did you mention something called "common sense" back before 1998?. I think common sense was abolished here in the states back in 1975 and the country has been paying for it ever since. Really a pity someone is qualified at 17 with certificates for proof but since not 18 has to be demeaned due to his age. Pretty dumb,sad.

easy-lift guy

[Frankie Lawrence]

another idea may be to consult with who ever you have taken employers and public liabilitty out with and see if there are any age exclusions/ resrictions or if you may need to change the level/type of cover that you have in place .

 

I agree with this when I was 15 and was working I couldn't use a saw bench buy could use a pto splitter. If he is sensible there's no reason why not but that's regardless of age older people can be just as if mot more useless than young folk

[gensetsteve]

As the owner of the business with experience in operating the processor I would say you are the person to carry out on the job training. I would spend a minimum of 40 hrs working the machine together. Give him 1/2 hour bursts on the controls after this the concentration goes out the window. Document the progress and when you feel he is safe and confident put him with your other employee. A processor is quite a complicated machine when you first start of I always think its abit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.

[nick channer]

my little boy is 15 months.. already he no's pretty much what every lever or button is for in my tractor just like i'm told i did at that age.. he spends hours with me in it at a time... when i was 12 i was dropped off in a field by my dad and used to operate a flail hedge cutter on a brand new at the time 1985 B reg ford 7710..[no fancy powershift gearbox's etc] for 12 hours or more a day... i'd sat in tractors with him from a very early age and watched his every move... i was driving the combine at 14... and at 16 when i left school took charge of one of the first mini hesston balers [brand new] ever to be seenin 100 miles from our farm... i worked that baler on my own sometimes 40 miles from home for 20 hrs a day for yrs.. and still do now... and soon as my boy jack can opereate it safely he'l be doing the same..wheter he's 13 or 18... what i'm sayin is u cant expect someone to walk off the street and operatr machinery, whether itsa baler, hedgecutter or processor... its almost bred into u from an early age...

[doobin]

my little boy is 15 months.. already he no's pretty much what every lever or button is for in my tractor just like i'm told i did at that age.. he spends hours with me in it at a time... when i was 12 i was dropped off in a field by my dad and used to operate a flail hedge cutter on a brand new at the time 1985 B reg ford 7710..[no fancy powershift gearbox's etc] for 12 hours or more a day... i'd sat in tractors with him from a very early age and watched his every move... i was driving the combine at 14... and at 16 when i left school took charge of one of the first mini hesston balers [brand new] ever to be seenin 100 miles from our farm... i worked that baler on my own sometimes 40 miles from home for 20 hrs a day for yrs.. and still do now... and soon as my boy jack can opereate it safely he'l be doing the same..wheter he's 13 or 18... what i'm sayin is u cant expect someone to walk off the street and operatr machinery, whether itsa baler, hedgecutter or processor... its almost bred into u from an early age...

 

You got it. Good machine operators are born, not made.

[Alycidon]

Agreed, I was also driving Fordson Dexta's and Super Majors at about 8 or 9 usually on thinks like chain harrowing of rolling. Then graduated to discing,ploughing etc when a bit older.

 

Having a feel for what the machine is doing and when its just starting to struggle by the engine note is only learned by experience.

 

A

[farmer_ben]

Agreed with Nick, we were only saying during the week how 15yrs ago you could stick anyone on a set of rolls or power harrow etc, now with the advances in tractor technology and width of some rolls (my neighbour has just bought a 18m set) you need an experienced operator on most jobs now