Lancstree

Wow what a resource! Thanks, a great post. If only this was on the web when I was at college. The search facility makes it much easier to find what you are looking for rather than grabbing a stack of journals from a library shelf and rooting through.

Haven't been on this thread for a while so sorry for no replies. Big Boss, I'm sorry I missed your offer but its too late for me this time because I've booked and paid. By the good reports posted here I'm sure I'll enjoy it so I'll maybe sort something out with you for next time I go Big Boss.

What sort of things can I do around Alvor or daytrips away? I've got a hire car sorted.

Thats a really good idea indeed

You're welcome and I'm pleased to see such a sum of money go to a good cause

Goodness. Didn't realize I'd won something!

I see, nowt wrong with that.

or train to gain

http://freelanguage.org/feeds/spanish

this is a good resource

We're you sent down treequip?!

It'll be better for you in the long run. I'm pleasantly surprised with this new health centre we have because I've not had to wait very long and the people seem to listen unlike GP's

This is about the best interpretation I can give from all the technical stuff I was told. There is a groove inside the knee somewhere that lets something run through it when you walk. When you are flat footed the ankle rotates sideways too much, thus pulling on your tendons in a way that it no longer runs in that groove, giving rise to pain. My insoles should help to re-align the workings of my foot and leg and send things back into that groove where they should be. Some people can get discomfort and pain in the hips and back due to the malformation of the foot. The guy is in a really senior position in the department and normally wouldn't deal with patients such as myself as he gets paid well enough to deal with even more specialist foot problems. I consider myself lucky to have got such an appointment

Update. Been to see a podiatrist for a biomechanical assessment on my feet today. The guy was great and he explained everything in great detail about the nature of his work and about feet in general. I've been given some corrective insoles that raise my arch in a certain area by 5mm and I can expect to wear smaller shoes because the arch makes the footprint smaller.

I asked if he'd come across arborists with knee complaints and he said no but there are lots of people who spend time standing on ladders with foot and knee problems. He saw the similarity of a ladder rung and the spike support.

Did anyone watch it? Thought there'd be more climbing related talk but maybe in other episodes.

Ain't it the same as a council getting prosecuted for an injury to a climber who belonged to a company the council contracted the work to? The council in this situation would have the 'duty of care' responsibility which is why they ask for so much paperwork from contractors regarding risk assessments etc.

Ok all valid points but the way I understand it is that the role of health and safety rep is a voluntary one and the health and safety 'employees' such as safety officers, are responsible for overseeing all H&S issues. What if a man on the lowest scale became H&S rep? I'm not totally sure of the liability side of the role but I see it as being more of a voice for the concerns of all members of staff. It would be an abuse of power (if there is any power to this role) to see someone going round pointing out this and that about visors etc and then go and do something naughty yourself. Furthermore employers can choose (by law) not to respond to requests or concerns from safety reps which I found a good example in this paragraph from the 'Hazards' magazine:

• One of the most tragic cases is that Ian Dicker who fell to his death at the West London Mail Centre, Paddington in July 2003. At the time of the accident Ian Dicker was working on the main roof of the West London Mail Centre, installing a new lighting system and was supervising an apprentice. The two men were working next to fragile skylights which were not boarded or marked as being dangerous and there was no safety guard rails to prevent someone falling. After the work had commenced, the apprentice had fixed an infra-red light unit in position on the roof when Mr Dicker stepped forward to inspect his work and fell 30 feet to his death, through one of the fragile skylights and into a corridor below. He died of multiple injuries. CWU Safety Representative Stephen Howlett had on a number of occasions raised concerns and questions of the need to take action in regards to roof working safety, pointing out the dangers and need to undertake suitable risk assessments. His calls were ignored as there is no legal duty to respond to him or involve him in any risk assessments or reviews. All the correspondence, minutes and inspection reports he had were handed over to Westminster Council who prosecuted both the contractor Romec and Royal Mail.

Not for christmas but I did buy a clapper from woolies today. Now I can switch my bedside lamp on or off by clapping which is ace even though it is within reach! Though it might come on if I get slapped twice at the right speed!

Cheers for the info treesurfer. I've looked into Alvor and found a pretty fair priced place not far from the old town. Its about 2 hours from the airport but that shouldn't be a problem cos I'm thinking of hiring a car anyway. Any sights or places to drive to you might recommend?

We're now looking at portugal because its a bit cheaper than a lot of other european places - for flights and accommodation at least. Can anyone reccommend a good spot? Been looking at the Algarve as that is where the sea is warmer and the weather better but I don't want to be somewhere tacky and unfriendly. I heard Albufieira is a bit like that. Whats driving like over there?

This looks like a good watch. I've just seen the advert and it appears to show a lot of rope access.

Discovery Channel

Mondays from 5 January at 7.30pm (UK only)

Episode 1

Designer and architectural journalist Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs) kicks off this new series by tackling the Forth Bridge as only the famed painters have done before.

Painting the Forth Bridge may be the stuff of modern legend but what’s it really like to get to grips with the nuts and bolts of this engineering miracle? Designed by John Fowler and Benjamin Baker at the end of the 19th century, the bridge has become a much-loved symbol of Scotland, even though the building of it claimed 60 lives. And it continues to dominate the lives of people who live nearby and work on its steel frame.

Kevin braves the raw Scottish winds to climb from sea level to summit. Along the way, he meets some of the characters associated with it, including George, who used to paint the bridge the old-fashioned way; Ralph who keeps it spick and span using new methods; and Betty, whose life was changed by the bridge when both her husband and son died working on it.

Episode 2

Logic says the spire of Salisbury Cathedral should have fallen down before it was even completed but it’s still there and, 700 years later, Kevin McCloud is going to climb - through 14th century scaffolding and over crumbling, eroded stone - to the very tip. A waterlogged site and just four feet of foundations don’t seem the ideal conditions for building a 404-foot spire - the tallest ever constructed at the time. Today, the enormous structure still stands on gravel and water; shored up by metalwork added as early as the 14th century. Kevin’s climb - the highest in the series - is made more difficult by crumbling stonework, eroded by acid rain.

I'd rattle it!

Thought as much. I've just read also that employers have no legal duty to respond to safety reps which seems crap but it would blow up in their face in the event of an accident. It seems a shame that its a thankless role as its a volunteer role. Know anything about learning rep's john?

Is anyone here a safety rep in local authority? Do you find that you are respected by your employer and workmates or treated differently? Do you find that your position causes friction in your team or workplace and do you let this worry you?

Our place is lacking one and I'm considering it myself but the above questions concern me. I see the role as very important because I often hear complaints and valid points that are taken no further so nothing is done. It is easy to be one of those people that complain but do nothing but I think it might be a worthy challenge to act on these issues. Is the training and experience valuable for future career or would I be viewed as a jobs-worth and an inconvenience to employers?

Memebers of the NFU get a discount on towing training I read in a paper today.

.....

or could of been a zipper or summat close to lens

Been taking pictures from your fly's?!!!

Well done that man for solving it. A sterling piece of detective work and the prize is a columbo style jacket. I just have to jump up and down on it first so it looks authentic.!

Funny enough thats how I got into spanish, when I was a foreman at The Care of Trees in Chicago.