joe public walking into cordoned off areas

[d-raittuk]

My dogs are more intelligent than most humans.

 

Last year a cyclist came through my cordon and went out the other side badly shaken and covered in bandages lucky to be alive, unfortunately that is the only way they will learn.

 

Cost me about £2k and my insurance company a good deal more.

 

BTW...contrary to popular belief, whatever you do, whatever measures you have in place, you will still be to blame to some degree. The courts just decide what percentage of the blame is attributed to you and what percentage to the injured party.

 

I very nearly jacked it all in because of it

 

mate thats bad what a tosser it breaks me that we spend alot of money on signs specialist ones we even have an extra guy on an do all we can to stop people some are just solid lol

[LGP Eddie]

We did a big Rhodie clearance job in a wood with a footpath straight through the centre. This is in the middle of nowhere, but does attract the larger groups of Ramblers at times, so we put the provision of a banksman either end of the work as we progressed to cut a new track through.

Plenty of signs, all Hi Viz, Two ways etc

You wouldn't believe it if you witnessed it! I'd have needed a Rugby team at either end to try and tackle them! Groups would come in, totally ignore any instruction to pause whilst everything was made safe for them to be escorted through and proceed to walk between all the machines muttering we've every right to go through here etc etc etc.

 

We ended up stopping the job and going back with a full Footpath Closure. This was well signposted and the site properly fenced off with warning notices everywhere.

I was using the Excavator and Mulcher, which is lethal, and had a banksman on constant lookout. What a nightmare!!! The banksman even tried to stop 3 Ramblers breaking down the fence to enter, and they simply refused to go back.

I had to stop work and the resulting aggro cost easily half an hours work, but ended when I threatened to call the Police and have the arrested for preventing essential works?

We lost hours on this job trying to argue with idiots who come out with statements like "I've worked around heavy machinery all my life??" I replied, is that what you'll say in court when a lump of wood out of that Mulcher has just nearly gone straight through you?

 

They will drive you to despair and I'd fully agree with others, you'll always come off worst.

[TGB]

...

Cost me about £2k and my insurance company a good deal more...

Used to be, one was rewarded for using that thing called the brain. Now the law & courts reward people, who can't walk, talk and chew gum at the same time. In the age of sue if you can, even if it was your own dumb actions/in-actions that caused the pickle. You could still be a winner. Why go to school, when you can sue your way through life?

[d-raittuk]

there is only so much you can do

[Marc Lewis]

Best way I reckon is to let people walk where they want and let cars drive where they want. Drop stuff in the road when there's a gap, thank the drivers for stopping. Keep the chipper running and leave a couple of small branches on the pavement at either end of your working area. If people step over them stop dropping stuff till they pass. Most of them will cross over. Thank them again with a pleasant nod and crack on. Have the attitude that you are in everyone else's way. Not the other way round.

 

Good advice Nailer. The truth is pedestrians have always done this and always will. They feel they have the right to continue the path they always take every day and you're in their back yard. the more secure the barrier, the less likely they are to enter. Don't get hit up about it and be watchful for public entering your work zone. As Nailer said, be polite and don't get angry as that will get you nowhere. I have heard stories (especially in London) of people pulling knives on the work force when approached. It is not worth the hassle and agro imo. As I said earlier, some people feel it is their right to be able to walk down their street without interruption and if they did get hurt where would the blame lie, even with all the correct signing, lighting and guarding? Not worth finding out. Keep it polite and friendly and crack on with what you need to do and accept that some people are imbeciles and will wander through your site without a care in the world!!

[Marc Lewis]

:toilet:Slightly off topicwe were refurbing some public toilets a few years ago. They were closed off with fencing, all of a sudden we heard the fence moveand then this woman ran in, the boy who was working in by the door said were closed, she replied i've got to go and proceeded to have a dump in 1of the toilets with no doors on the cubicle.

So it doesn't matter how well you cordon it off people will bepeople

 

If you've gotta go, you've gotta go!!

[nailer]

Thank you Marc. Can't believe some of you guys getting so stressed out about something so simple.

[codlasher]

Good advice Nailer. The truth is pedestrians have always done this and always will. They feel they have the right to continue the path they always take every day and you're in their back yard. the more secure the barrier, the less likely they are to enter. Don't get hit up about it and be watchful for public entering your work zone. As Nailer said, be polite and don't get angry as that will get you nowhere. I have heard stories (especially in London) of people pulling knives on the work force when approached. It is not worth the hassle and agro imo. As I said earlier, some people feel it is their right to be able to walk down their street without interruption and if they did get hurt where would the blame lie, even with all the correct signing, lighting and guarding? Not worth finding out. Keep it polite and friendly and crack on with what you need to do and accept that some people are imbeciles and will wander through your site without a care in the world!!

So so true.

They want to argue about it too! This was one of my biggest worries and we occasionally had an extra man on the ground at the opposite end of the job to help me at my end.

codlasher

[jarborist]

I know what you mean Nailer. It can work well in the right place , like leaving sawdust and twigs in the road to slow cars. I don't know where you work , but the stories I posted where we tried to stop access were both in central London. I have found that trying your technique just won't work sometimes, no gaps in traffic or people occur to let anything fall.

 

Still looking into electric fences for city work, also considering security patrol vs. agro. and weapons, although being polite definitely seems to surprise/embarass people so much they often behave, albeit after they have got in the way.

[landroverfanatic]

There are two sites locally with areas cordoned one says dangerous tree branch above path. This was ripped down in days and people were walking through. The other site has remained cordoned off for about three months, the sign there says caution wasps nest.

So I'm going to change all my tree cutting signs to wasps nest removal.