Haironyourchest

I had the camera, and Aldi Maginon 80 euro job, for a few years before getting round to using it. There's a cryptomeria japonica branch on a deserted island, which has been gnawed by something. Bets were on badger and birds, but we found tracks which we took be be fox and otter as well. Left the camera up for three weeks, all sorts of visitors to the log - including a cow! [ame] [/ame]

Children are capable of so much more than people give them credit for. The idea that they're made of China and dead weight till they 25...total Western 21st century conceit.

Were they good? All the same flavour or different? In the UK do you have those charity sweet boxes on the counter of shops? You're supposed to put the suggested donation in a slot and take a packet of sweets.

Always fancied a pair of these. Electronic Ear Plugs - Ear Plugs

Sadly, you have a very small window of time to treat the burn before it "takes". Lavender essential oil, liberally applied to a burn directly after it happens, will stop the pain and stop the burn from blistering. Incredible stuff, but you have to apply it immediately - within a minute. If the burn has already progressed, theres not much you can of except keep it clean and moist to promote healing. Burns are liable to infection, since the top layer of skin is essentially dead and attracts necrotic bacteria. So cover with a gauze, dampened with water and white malt vinegar, maybe 1 part vinegar to 20 parts water, and cover that with cling film. Change every day. Best of luck.

Ok I'll bite - There's this internet subculture where guys eat MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat) military rations and do reviews on them. Some guys acquire "vintage" packs, as old as the second world war and actually eat, or at least, taste, the contents. Must be at least as dangerous as mountain biking along a knife-edge ridge! [ame] [/ame]

Very weak argument - yes some will find a way over, under or around, but it will stop the vast majority. Its almost as if some folks are on the side of the illegals the way they carry on. We'll settle for reduced flow and not expect or require hermetically sealed borders, thanks. Same goes for deportations - if we can't deport the second generation so be it, we'll still deport as many of the first gen as we can. Will it stop the bombings, knifings and car-rammings? No, but it will reduce the numbers. Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Well, getting back to the actual election, Le Pen is gaining by a point a day for the last three or four days. By the polls, she needs ten more points to win. There are seven days left. If something unsavoury happens in the next week, it could well be a win for her.

I read this a few years ago. And this was from 2006. I know its rude to cut and paste, and I could just post the link but who would bother clicking? To hell with it - I'm gonna be rude and cut and paste - someone might read the first few lines and continue. If you don't want to read the thing, well just scroll on down. Danish Psychologist: Integration of Muslims in Western Societies is not possible 31 March 2009 Interview by Felix Struening Danish integration problems with Muslims became public worldwide in 2006 when the newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. Exactly two years later riots broke out again because of the reprint of the Mohammed cartoons by all major Danish newspapers. Currently 70% of the prison population in the Copenhagen youth prison consists of young man of Muslim heritage. Is this recent violence and general violent tendency among Muslims solely coincidental, or is there a direct connection? In February 2009, Nicolai Sennels, a Danish psychologist published a book entitled Among criminal Muslims. A psychologist’s experience from Copenhagen. In his book, Nicolai Sennels shares a psychological perspective of this Muslim Culture, its relationship to anger, handling emotions and its religion. He based his research on hundreds of hours of therapy with 150 young Muslims in the Copenhagen youth jail. EuropeNews interviewed the author about his book and its consequences on integration of Muslims in Europe. EuropeNews: Nicolai Sennels, how did you get the idea to write a book about criminal Muslims in Denmark? Nicolai Sennels: I got the idea in February 2008 during a conference on integration in Copenhagen, where I was invited as the first and only psychologist working in a Copenhagen youth prison. My speech at the conference was about the fact, that foreigners’ culture plays a significant role concerning integration, crime and religious extremism. I emphasized, that people from a Muslim culture find it difficult, if not impossible, to create a successful life in Denmark. This statement was met with great resistance from Danish politicians and also my own boss from the youth prison. I was quite surprised since I thought that my point is obvious: some cultures fit better into Western societies than others. All of Europe is currently struggling to integrate Muslims but this endeavor seems to be impossible. According to the Danish police and the Danish Bureau of Statistics more than 70% of all crimes in the Danish capital are committed by Muslims. Our national bank recently published a report stating that a Muslim foreigner costs more than 2 million Danish kroner (300,000 euros) in federal social assistance on average, caused by the low participation in the work force. On top of this, we have to add many additional types of social welfare that unemployed people can receive in our country: expenses in connection with interpreters, special classes in school – 64% of school children with Muslim parents cannot read and write Danish properly after 10 years in a Danish school – social work, extra police etc. My statement resulted in a legal injunction, a kind of professional punishment, which stated, that if I ever repeat this, I could be fired. According to the Copenhagen authorities it is apparently permitted to state that the serious problems among Muslims are caused by poverty, the media, the police, the Danes, politicians, etc. But two things are definitely not allowed: 1) discussing the significance of culture and 2) our foreigners own responsibility for their integration in our societies. Unfortunately many very powerful politicians lack a clear understanding of the psychological aspect of culture and the influence it has on integration. EuropeNews: What were the reactions in Denmark? Sennels: The book was received with a great amount of attention, already before the book was officially published on February 24 2009. It was on the front page of one of the biggest national newspapers in Denmark, and I was on the radio and TV participating in debates with politicians and other experts on the subject. The first publication of the book was sold out after three weeks. Since then, there have been some big changes in Danish integration policy, which seems to have been influenced by the book and the attention it got. From my personal point of view, the widespread attention shows that my statement is true: there is simply a great need for a deeper understanding of how Muslims’ culture influences their chances for integration. The very famous politician, Naser Khader, who is Muslim and the author of the bestseller “Honor and Shame”, wrote a review of my book and stated that it should be “obligatory reading for students, social workers and teachers.” Jyllands-Posten, the brave newspaper that first published the Mohammed cartoons, calls the book “an original piece of pioneer work”. EuropeNews: Let’s have a closer look at the book. You talk about four myths of integration. The first one concerns the difference between the cultures of immigrants. Sennels: What I discovered during my work at the youth prison was that people of Muslim heritage have other needs for social work than Danes or people of non-Muslim cultures. These different needs require more attention, and psychologists need to do more research on these topics in order to be able to create effective social politics. I completely agree with my critics that personal and social problems can lead to anti-social behavior among both Westerners and Muslims. However, there is still extremely disproportional anti-social and anti-democratic behavior among Muslims. The Danish Bureau of Statistics published a report (1 and 2) stating that Muslim countries take the first eight places on the top 10-list of criminals’ country of origin. Denmark is number nine on this list. EuropeNews: So that means, we have to treat Muslim and non-Muslim immigrants in a different way? Sennels: Seen from a psychological and also humanistic perspective, it is very clear that people from different cultures have different needs when they have or create problems. My own experience is that Muslims don’t understand our Western way of trying to handle conflicts through dialogue. They are raised in a culture with very clear outer authorities and consequences. Western tradition using compromise and inner reflection as primary means of handling outer and inner conflicts is seen as weak in the Muslim culture. To a great extent they simply don’t understand this softer and more humanistic way of handling social affairs. In the context of social work and politics this means that they need more borders and stronger consequences to be able to adjust their behavior. EuropeNews: That leads us directly to the second myth: it is often said, that the criminality of immigrants is caused by social problems, not by their cultural background. In your book you disagree and point to the religion of the Muslims as a source of criminality. Sennels: Well, I would rephrase it as “Muslim culture” instead of “religion” because there are a lot of Muslims who don’t know what is written in the Quran and who don’t visit the mosques. But they are strongly influenced on a cultural level. And there we see that especially anger is much more accepted in the Muslim culture. One example: in Western culture and also in other non-Muslim cultures, like in Asia, you see aggression and a sudden explosion of anger as something you’ll regret afterwards, something you are ashamed of. It is completely opposite in the Muslim culture. If somebody steps on your honor – what I as a psychologist would call self confidence – you are simply expected to show aggression and often also verbal or physical revenge. So, aggression gives you a low status in our cultures, but a high status in the Muslim culture. There is however another and much deeper reason for the wide spread anti-social behavior in Muslim communities and their strong aversion against integration – namely, the very strong identification that Muslims have with belonging to the Muslim culture. My encounter with the Muslim culture has been a meeting with an exceedingly strong and very proud culture. This is certainly something that can ensure an ancient culture’s survival through changing times – Islam and the Muslim culture are excellent examples of this. A strong and proud culture unfortunately also makes the culture’s members almost unable to adapt to other values. In Germany, only 12% of their 3.5 million Muslims see themselves as more German than Muslim; in France and Denmark, only 14% of the Muslim populations respectively see themselves more as French or Danish than Muslim. Research among Muslims living in Denmark also shows that 50% of the 1st- and 2nd-generation immigrants are against free speech and 11% would like to see the Danish constitution exchanged with the sharia law (more numbers from this research can be found in the printed issue of the newspaper). These high percentages are of course frightening, but especially disturbing is the fact that there are no differences of opinion on this topic among Muslims who are born and raised in Muslim countries and the opinion of their children who are born and raised in Danish society. When it comes to identity among Muslims, nationality does not count at all in comparison with culture and religion. The consequence is a powerful and growing opposition to Western culture and values in Muslim ghettoes throughout Copenhagen and other major European cities. EuropeNews: As you already pointed out, a lot of Muslims have a strong connection to their religious identity. The third myth you dismantle in your book is about the percentage of extremist’s and fundamentalists among Muslims. It’s often presumed that this percentage is relatively small. What is your experience? Sennels: People hope that most Muslims are modern and accept Western values. My experience is different, and this has been proven by the statistics in Europe that I just quoted. In February 2008, we had some deadly serious riots by young Muslims in Denmark. Those riots were partly a reaction to the great focus by the Danish police on the steeply rising crime rates in Muslim areas. The other reason was the reprinting of the Mohammed cartoons in all Danish newspapers. This reprinting was an act of solidarity with the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose life was, and still is, seriously threatened. In these riots, we saw Muslims who don’t practice the Islamic religion in their daily lives standing up for their culture and religion in a very aggressive way. Copenhagen was smoking for an entire week due to several hundred of fires, and the police and firemen trying to calm the situation down were also attacked. A big part of the rioters ended up in the prison where I worked, and I therefore I had the chance to talk with them. Almost all of them were Muslims, and they all claimed that what they have done – starting fires, attacking the police etc. – was justified since Danish society, through its pressure on integration and through reprinting the Mohammed cartoons, has proven itself to be racist and against Islam and Muslim culture. The few Danish people among the rioters were completely different. Their explanation of their actions was predominately a search for adventure or excitement. EuropeNews: The fourth myth is that poverty among immigrants leads to their bad social situation. In your book, you tell us that the opposite is true. Sennels: You can formulate this important question like this: do people get social problems because they are poor, or do they become poor because they create social problems? My experience is that the very low focus on supporting one’s children in school and on one’s own education and the lack of motivation for creating a professional career is a crucial factor for the poverty, which many Muslims experience in both our societies and in Muslim countries. On top of it, one fourth of all young male Muslims in Denmark have a criminal record. Poor reading skills, a strong aversion against authorities and a criminal record simply make it very difficult for you to get a well paying job. It is anti-social behavior that makes you poor. Not the other way around. Unfortunately many politicians see poverty as the main cause of integration problems. I think this is a horrible and one-dimensional view of poor people and of people in general. The idea that people’s behavior is decided by the amount of money they have on their bank accounts every month is an exceedingly limited view. I myself, as a psychologist who graduated from the humanities department of the University of Copenhagen, would say that people have many more and stronger factors in their lives than money, which influence their behavior and way of thinking. EuropeNews: What is the conclusion on your research? Is the integration of people of Muslim heritage into Western societies possible? Nicolai Sennels: I would say that the optimists, the people who say that integration is possible, carry a very great responsibility. There is a very great risk that they are selling us hope, a dream, that has no foundation in reality. This means that they will be the ones who are responsible for Europe looking away from and not addressing its problems until it is too late. There is simply no research in Europe that supports the optimists’ view. On the contrary, all the research that we have on integration of Muslims in Western societies shows that we are continuing to head in the wrong direction. So I don’t know how these optimists come to their conclusion. Maybe it is a vain and childish hope that everything will turn out well, just like in the fairy tales. Or maybe it is a pseudo-Darwinistic idea that everything will develop in a positive direction. One thing is for sure: they don’t base their judgments on facts. Of course there are exceptions but for the largest part integration to the necessary degree of Muslims is not possible. Clever and compassionate people are working all over Europe on the problem, and they have spent billions of Euros on the project, yet, the problems still continue to grow. The psychological explanation is actually simple. The Muslim and the Western cultures are fundamentally very different. This means Muslims need to undergo very big changes in their identity and values to be able to accept the values of Western societies. Changing basic structures in one’s personality is a very demanding psychological and emotional process. Apparently very few Muslims feel motivated to do so. I only know a few who managed, but I also know that it was a long and exhausting struggle on an inner level for them and that they often pay a high personal price on the outer level because their Muslim friends and families despise and/or disown them for leaving their culture. EuropeNews: But what we are going to do with the Muslims, who are already here? Sennels: I see two possibilities. Firstly, we should immediately stop all immigration of people from Muslim countries to Europe until we have proven that integration of Muslims is possible. Secondly, we should help Muslims who don’t want to or are not able to integrate in our Western societies to build a new and meaningful life in a society they understand and that understands them. This means to assist them in starting a new life in a Muslim country. We actually have the economic means to do this. As I mentioned previously, the Danish National Bank calculated, that every immigrant from Muslim countries costs 300,000 euros on average. With this money, we could help these people to live a happy life in a Muslim country without having to integrate in a society they don’t understand and therefore cannot accept. Having money enough to support one’s family and live in a country where one feels at home with the surrounding culture would be a great step forward in the quality of their lives. And we should help them achieve this. Not only the individual Muslim, but also European societies will benefit. Muslims immigrating from Europe to Muslim countries will function as ambassadors for more free and democratic societies: due to their experience from living in a democracy with real human rights and their knowledge of the social systems in Europe, they will take very important ideas and values with them. In this way they can do what hopefully most of them dream of, i.e. help their Muslim brothers and sisters in their home countries by changing the poor conditions and from which they moved away from initially. Nicolai Sennels, 33 years old, is a psychologist and has worked for the Copenhagen authorities for several years. From 2005 to 2008 he worked at the Sønderbro youth prison in Copenhagen. See also the article by Nicolai Sennels And this report at Gates of Vienna Topic

Guys, the tipping point has actually already arrived, the change has happened, the solution to this problem is underway...but the results won't be visible for a while, maybe not for a few years. When a big ship changes direction, the rudder moves but the momentum of the ship is such that the direction does not visibly start to change until several nautical miles. We have passed the tipping point, Im sure of it. Culturally. And in the USA and UK, politically as well. The rest of the west will follow, but not tomorrow, not next week. Its going to be ok.

Well, I should have gone with my first thought and suggested epoxy putty!..haha. Yeah metal powder impregnated putty will do it, phenomenal stuff - nearly all auto parts shops have some version of it on the counter. Personally I would break the case though, and roughen up the surfaces inside and out around the holes first though.

Why don't we just all convert? We'll start wearing the get-up, grow our beards, take a break to kneel five times a day...of course, we'll continue out satanic practices in secret, like drinking beer, BLTs and so on, like the Jewish converts to Christianity in Spain during the inquisition. Sure, it'll be inconvenient but at least it'll stop the moan. Plus, we'll be able to clamp down on criminals and other undesirables without feeling guilty about it...

If it was my saw, I would break it down again, and take the crankcase to an engineering outfit that can weld magnesium alloy, and just patch the holes. Would hurt to get a quote.

Some years ago I had a guy do a rebuild to my 254XP - he used a screw in piston stop and when I examined the piston head at a later date, I noticed a wee crescent shaped indentation. Its not huge, but still instantly noticeable. Do you think that my piston head had been compromised? Saw runs just great, but still....was a tad annoyed.

Best post so far - a key point that is oft forgotten is that the law in muslim majority countries, as in much of the world - is draconian. Their culture respects an uncompromising legal code - you steal, you lose a hand, no argument. They see our liberal softness as weakness, and they're right, in many cases what pretends to be "enlightened" application of the criminal code is political weakness. Time for the west to get tough, not just on antisocial immigrants, but on our own as well, too many folks taking the piss, it can't go on forever...

I really think you are giving the islamists more intellectual credit than they deserve Two Acres. They're just a street gang, albeit a large and widely spread one. Their ideology is that of mental midgets, purely driven by emotion and frustration with their own failings in the face of modernity. And its always been us vs them, all through history - sorry but its the human condition, and ain't gonna change any time soon.

Was it Maggie Thatcher who said "Socialism is an excellent system....untill you run out of other people's firewood" Or words to that effect?

From the HSE website, there's also an expanded Q&A PDF - looks like theres nothing in there to mandate new PPE for new employees. As long as its "maintained in good condition" its fine... Do employers have to provide personal protective equipment (PPE)? The relevant regulations are the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. Regulation 4 states: Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective. The accompanying guidance states: Employers should, therefore, provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and training in its usage to their employees wherever there is a risk to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled by other means. In order to provide PPE for their employees, employers must do more than simply have the equipment on the premises. The employees must have the equipment readily available, or at the very least have clear instructions on where they can obtain it. By virtue of Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, no charge can be made to the worker for the provision of PPE which is used only at work. Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states: "No employer shall levy or permit to be levied on any employee of his any charge in respect of anything done or provided in pursuance of any specific requirement of the relevant statutory provisions". Section 9 applies to these Regulations because they impose a 'specific requirement' - i.e. to provide PPE. Personal protective equipment (PPE) at work A brief guide This is a web-friendly version of leaflet INDG174(rev2), published 06/13 Introduction This leaflet describes what you, as an employer, may need to do to protect your employees from the risk of injury in the workplace. It will also be useful to employees and their representatives. Employers have duties concerning the provision and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) at work and the leaflet explains what you need to do to meet the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended). What is PPE? PPE is equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks at work. It can include items such as safety helmets and hard hats, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses. Hearing protection and respiratory protective equipment provided for most work situations are not covered by these Regulations because there are other more specific regulations that apply to them. However, these items need to be compatible with any other PPE provided. Cycle helmets or crash helmets worn by employees on the roads are not covered by the Regulations. Motorcycle helmets are legally required under road traffic legislation. The Employment Act 1989 gives an exemption for turban-wearing Sikhs working on construction sites from the need to wear head protection. What do the Regulations require? PPE should be used as a last resort. Wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require PPE to be supplied. The Regulations also require that PPE is: ■ properly assessed before use to make sure it is fit for purpose; ■ maintained and stored properly; ■ provided with instructions on how to use it safely; ■ used correctly by employees. Page 1 of 6 Assessing suitable PPE To make sure the right type of PPE is chosen, consider the different hazards in the workplace and identify the PPE that will provide adequate protection against them; this may be different for each job. Ask your supplier for advice on the types of PPE available and their suitability for different tasks. In some cases, you may need to get advice from specialists or from the PPE manufacturer. Another useful source of information is the British Safety Industry Federation (www. bsif.co.uk). Consider the following when assessing suitability: ■ Does the PPE protect the wearer from the risks and take account of the environmental conditions where the task is taking place? For example eye protection designed to protect against agricultural pesticides may not offer adequate protection when using an angle grinder to cut steel or stone. ■ Does using PPE increase the overall level of risk or add new risks, eg by making communication more difficult? ■ Can it be adjusted to fit the wearer correctly? ■ What are the needs of the job and the demands it places on the wearer? For example, the length of time the PPE needs to be worn, the physical effort required to do the job or the requirements for visibility and communication. ■ If someone wears more than one item of PPE, are they compatible? For example does using a respirator make it difficult to fit eye protection properly? Selection and use When selecting PPE: ■ choose good quality products which are CE marked in accordance with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002 – suppliers can advise you; ■ choose equipment that suits the wearer – consider the size, fit and weight; you may need to consider the health of the wearer, eg if equipment is very heavy, or wearers have pre-existing health issues, standard PPE may not be suitable; ■ let users help choose it, they will be more likely to use it. Using and distributing PPE to your employers: ■ instruct and train people how to use it; ■ tell them why it is needed, when to use it and what its limitations are; ■ never allow exemptions for those jobs that ‘only take a few minutes’; ■ if something changes on the job, check the PPE is still appropriate – speak with your supplier, explaining the job to them; ■ if in doubt, seek further advice from a specialist adviser. Personal protective equipment (PPE) at work Page 2 of 6 Health and Safety Executive The hazards and types of PPE Eyes Hazards: Chemical or metal splash, dust, projectiles, gas and vapour, radiation. Options: Safety spectacles, goggles, face-shields, visors. Note: Make sure the eye protection has the right combination of impact/dust/ splash/molten metal eye protection for the task and fits the user properly. Head Hazards: Impact from falling or flying objects, risk of head bumping, hair entanglement. Options: A range of helmets, hard hats and bump caps. Note: Some safety helmets incorporate or can be fitted with specially-designed eye or hearing protection. Don’t forget neck protection, eg scarves for use during welding. Do not use head protection if it is damaged – replace it. Breathing Hazards: Dust, vapour, gas, oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Options: Disposable filtering face-piece or respirator, half- or full-face respirators, air- fed helmets, breathing apparatus. Note: The right type of respirator filter must be used as each is effective for only a limited range of substances. Where there is a shortage of oxygen or any danger of losing consciousness due to exposure to high levels of harmful fumes, only use breathing apparatus – never use a filtering cartridge. Filters only have a limited life; when replacing them or any other part, check with the manufacturer’s guidance and ensure the correct replacement part is used. If you are using respiratory protective equipment, look at HSE’s publication Respiratory protective equipment at work: A practical guide (see ‘Further reading’). Protecting the body Hazards: Temperature extremes, adverse weather, chemical or metal splash, spray from pressure leaks or spray guns, impact or penetration, contaminated dust, excessive wear or entanglement of own clothing. Options: Conventional or disposable overalls, boiler suits, specialist protective clothing, eg chain-mail aprons, high-visibility clothing. Note: The choice of materials includes flame-retardant, anti-static, chain mail, chemically impermeable, and high-visibility. Don’t forget other protection, like safety harnesses or life jackets. Personal protective equipment (PPE) at work Page 3 of 6 Health and Safety Executive Hands and arms Hazards: abrasion, temperature extremes, cuts and punctures, impact, chemicals, electric shock, skin infection, disease or contamination. Options: Gloves, gauntlets, mitts, wrist-cuffs, armlets. Note: Avoid gloves when operating machines such as bench drills where the gloves could get caught. Some materials are quickly penetrated by chemicals so be careful when you are selecting them, see HSE’s skin at work website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/skin). Barrier creams are unreliable and are no substitute for proper PPE. Wearing gloves for long periods can make the skin hot and sweaty, leading to skin problems; using separate cotton inner gloves can help prevent this. Be aware that some people may be allergic to materials used in gloves, eg latex. Feet and legs Hazards: Wet, electrostatic build-up, slipping, cuts and punctures, falling objects, metal and chemical splash, abrasion. Options: Safety boots and shoes with protective toe caps and penetration-resistant mid-sole, gaiters, leggings, spats. Note: Footwear can have a variety of sole patterns and materials to help prevent slips in different conditions, including oil or chemical-resistant soles. It can also be anti-static, electrically conductive or thermally insulating. It is important that the appropriate footwear is selected for the risks identified. Training ■ Make sure anyone using PPE is aware of why it is needed, when to use, repair or replace it, how to report it if there is a fault and its limitations. ■ Train and instruct people how to use PPE properly and make sure they are doing this. Include managers and supervisors in the training, they may not need to use the equipment personally, but they do need to ensure their staff are using it correctly. ■ It is important that users wear PPE all the time they are exposed to the risk. Never allow exemptions for those jobs which take ‘just a few minutes’. ■ Check regularly that PPE is being used and investigate incidents where it is not. Safety signs can be useful reminders to wear PPE, make sure that staff understand these signs, what they mean and where they can get equipment, eg for visitors or contractors. Maintenance Make sure: ■ equipment is well looked after and properly stored when it is not being used, eg in a dry, clean cupboard, or for smaller items in a box or case; ■ equipment is kept clean and in good repair – follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule (including recommended replacement periods and shelf lives); ■ simple maintenance can be carried out by the trained wearer, but more intricate repairs should only be done by specialists; Personal protective equipment (PPE) at work Page 4 of 6 Health and Safety Executive Health and Safety Executive ■ replacement parts match the original, eg respirator filters; ■ you identify who is responsible for maintenance and how to do it; ■ employees make proper use of PPE and report its loss or destruction or any fault in it. Make sure suitable replacement PPE is always readily available. It may be useful to have a supply of disposable PPE, eg for visitors who need protective clothing. CE marking Ensure any PPE you buy is ‘CE’ marked and complies with the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002. The CE marking signifies that the PPE satisfies certain basic safety requirements and in some cases will have been tested and certified by an independent body. Other regulations The PPE at Work Regulations do not apply where the following five sets of regulations require the provision and use of PPE against these hazards. For example, gloves used to prevent dangerous chemicals penetrating the skin would be covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended). The Regulations are: ■ The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002. ■ The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999. ■ The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. ■ The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended). ■ The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Key points to remember Are there ways other than using PPE to adequately control the risk, eg by using engineering controls? If not, check that: ■ suitable PPE is provided; ■ it offers adequate protection for its intended use; ■ those using it are adequately trained in its safe use; ■ it is properly maintained and any defects are reported; ■ it is returned to its proper storage after use. Can I charge for providing PPE? An employer cannot ask for money from an employee for PPE, whether it is returnable or not. This includes agency workers, if they are legally regarded as your employees. If employment has been terminated and the employee keeps the PPE without the employer’s permission, then, as long as it has been made clear in the contract of employment, the employer may be able to deduct the cost of the replacement from any wages owed. Personal protective equipment (PPE) at work Page 5 of 6 Further reading Hard hats: What you need to know as a busy builder Construction Information Sheet CIS70 HSE Books 2013 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis70.pdf Hazardous substances at work: A brief guide to COSHH Leaflet INDG136(rev5) HSE Books 2012 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.htm Lead and you Leaflet INDG305(rev2) HSE Books 2012 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg305.htm Noise at work: A brief guide to controlling the risks Leaflet INDG362(rev2) HSE Books 2012 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg362.htm Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Second edition). Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended). Guidance on Regulations L25 (Second edition) HSE Books 2005 ISBN 978 0 7176 6139 8 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l25.htm Respiratory protective equipment at work: A practical guide HSG53 (Third edition) HSE Books 2005 ISBN 978 0 7176 2904 6 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg53.htm Selecting protective gloves for work with chemicals: Guidance for employers and health and safety specialists Leaflet INDG330 HSE Books 2000 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg330.htm Further information For information about health and safety, or to report inconsistencies or inaccuracies in this guidance, visit http://www.hse.gov.uk. You can view HSE guidance online and order priced publications from the website. HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops. This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance. This leaflet is available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg174.htm. © Crown copyright If you wish to reuse this information visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/copyright.htm for details. First published 06/13.

How'd you pop the rib? Good story behind it?

I see, thats a bummer. Is the kevlar element required for employees who will be required to saw, or is it across the board, ie. brash draggers as well?

It may not be good practice but is it illegal? If the gear has only been used 6 weeks, a wash cycle should make it like new - who's going to know the difference? I'd be interested to know the ins and outs of this, as holding the PEE for the next lad was my first thought.

Don't mind me, Tom, I've just been listening to too much conservative talk radio lately... I see your angle. It's a tough one...the self employed already pay taxes. If they are low earners, they pay little or no taxes, but neither do the employed, if they are low earners, or part time. If we tax the self employed more, what will that achieve except to discourage people from working as much, increase the black economy, and reduce disposable income, further slowing the economy? More taxes doesn't necessarily mean less deficit- just more money for the government to squander. If we try and squeeze low earners for more, people will just opt to stay on the dole or work black, and as you said, there are 4.5 million of them, the cost/benefit of auditing that many low earners (I don't know what number would be classed as such, but I'm sure it's a lot) every few years would be a mugs game for the state. Why can't governments close their deficit gaps by just spending our money more wizely? That's why money, generally, is better spent by the people, and not the government.

Yes but only if you pay employees that way (it supposedly dis-incentivises them to take their holiday entitlements, more EU meddling) Its different for subbies, since they are responsible for setting their own holidays. Non?

Hypothetically, what would it take to modify gaffs to secrete a fungicidal/healing substance every time they are placed, or removed? A hollow spike, or a tube terminating near the base of the spike, drawing from a small reservoir?