Health and Safety madness at Costas

thorrthorr Posts: 2,153
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Well maybe not madness - but when I recently purchased a seasonal latte with towering cream, the server went to put on the lid - but I didn't want squashed cream, so told him not to worry about the lid. But he was quite insistent - citing the health and safety rules for justification! The lid lasted on the cup for approx 5 seconds, and despite dicing with certain injury, managed to successfully consume said beverage with no mishap. phew!

strangely, those with the potentially more dangerous china cups did not have lids!

Anyone else subject to similar crazy rules?
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Comments

  • excelentsexcelents Posts: 1,384
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    I am a Member of a private club and we have a special meeting room where nothing whatsoever could go wrong in terms of a food or drink based accident.

    However, there is a large poster on the wall outside saying "No Food or Drinks to be consumed past this door due to Health & Safety."

    Most, but not all of this c*ap they spout is a load of old fa*ny.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 21,093
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    Did all this Health and Safety crap come from the EU? Because in relation to the UKIP thread, I thought this type of thing was why people wanted to vote for them, to leave the EU with their Health and safety, mercury light bulbs and pints no longer pints - not because people are racist. I've woken up to much confusion today, I admit I am naive when it comes to people's motives.:o
  • stoatiestoatie Posts: 78,106
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    Did all this Health and Safety crap come from the EU? Because in relation to the UKIP thread, I thought this type of thing was why people wanted to vote for them, to leave the EU with their Health and safety, mercury light bulbs and pints no longer pints - not because people are racist. I've woken up to much confusion today, I admit I am naive when it comes to people's motives.:o

    No, I think it's as a result of us following the States down the rabbit hole of compulsive litigation.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 21,093
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    stoatie wrote: »
    No, I think it's as a result of us following the States down the rabbit hole of compulsive litigation.

    Aaah right. Thank you Sir Stoat.
  • KennedyCKennedyC Posts: 1,289
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    These rules are a direct result of staff being asked to do risk assessments for fairly benign offices. Health and safety legislation had always been directed to factory floors, mines, construction sites and all those places where people regularly got killed by heavy equipment etc. When you then try and do a risk assessment for an office where the most dangerous piece of equipment is a photocopier (which might shine in your eyes) or a hot beverage (which might burn your tongue) peoples imagination goes mad. I can remember having to consider the likelihood of cutting ones tongue when licking envelopes, bacteria and rodents arising from the crumbs produced when eating at ones desk. Once you get into VDU regulations, keyboard slopes and adjustability of chairs it all becomes hysterical madness.

    At one BP office I visited, the rules included having to reverse into parking spaces and any drink that was being carried had to have a lid on. There was also rule about always having a free hand when walking up stairs.
  • FroodFrood Posts: 13,180
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    These are all things passed down by (often lazy) businesses/managers and blamed on "HSE directives".

    They are not official - like the fictictious "kids to wear goggles when playing conkers" which was made up by a headmaster so he could claim it was "H&S gone mad:mad:"
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,606
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    I was on a bus that was so crowded there was hardly room to move. I was a few feet away from the front door, but the driver refused to let me out that way: "only in an emergency". He had to wait nearly two full minutes while I struggled through the hoards of people too stupid or selfish to step out of the bus, let me out, and then step back in. No common sense anywhere. I suppose for the driver it was something to do with insurance and fear of being sued...
  • edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    IMO ALL Costa Coffee should come with a health and safety warning :D
  • jcafcwjcafcw Posts: 11,282
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    The reason is very simple. If he hadn't put the lid on and you had spilled some of it on you he doesn't know if you are the type of person who would then sue them. The ambulance chasers are part of the reason behind the H&S nightmare.
  • RobinOfLoxleyRobinOfLoxley Posts: 27,040
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    I was on a bus that was so crowded there was hardly room to move. ...

    On a very crowded Taiwanese local type train once we had the same problem at a station. Hundreds more were trying to get on at same time.
    We were completely trapped.

    Being near the end of the last carriage, the savvy locals near us simply opened the back door, above the tracks, jumped down, then up to the platform.

    So we did too :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 21,093
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    I was on a bus that was so crowded there was hardly room to move. I was a few feet away from the front door, but the driver refused to let me out that way: "only in an emergency". He had to wait nearly two full minutes while I struggled through the hoards of people too stupid or selfish to step out of the bus, let me out, and then step back in. No common sense anywhere. I suppose for the driver it was something to do with insurance and fear of being sued...

    This is one of my gripes about trains. Health and Safety policies are everywhere, but seem to not apply to overcrowding and standing on buses and trains. I dread to think of the consequences of face to glass standing on a commuter train if there was a crash. It's all a farce, same with disability policies. One of the reasons I had to finish work was the nightmare journey to and from work on overcrowded commuter trains. Politicians should get out of their cars and try a piece of the real world. Rant over.
  • TVGirl319TVGirl319 Posts: 2,127
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    stoatie wrote: »
    No, I think it's as a result of us following the States down the rabbit hole of compulsive litigation.

    The States are not as health and safety conscious as we nanny Brits are!!! The States, by and large, rely on each citizen, as MATURE ADULTS, to look out for themselves regarding health and safety, whereas, the Brits seem to rely on the government here to tell them how to live every second of their lives, because the Brits havent got one single brain cell to think for themselves!!!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 21,093
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    TVGirl319 wrote: »
    The States are not as health and safety conscious as we nanny Brits are!!! The States, by and large, rely on each citizen, as MATURE ADULTS, to look out for themselves regarding health and safety, whereas, the Brits seem to rely on the government here to tell them how to live every second of their lives, because the Brits havent got one single brain cell to think for themselves!!!

    Yeah all Brits are like that.
  • Jane Doh!Jane Doh! Posts: 43,307
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    TVGirl319 wrote: »
    The States are not as health and safety conscious as we nanny Brits are!!! The States, by and large, rely on each citizen, as MATURE ADULTS, to look out for themselves regarding health and safety, whereas, the Brits seem to rely on the government here to tell them how to live every second of their lives, because the Brits havent got one single brain cell to think for themselves!!!

    Are you sure about that? Sounds utter nonsense to me.
  • Steve_WhelanSteve_Whelan Posts: 1,986
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    TVGirl319 wrote: »
    The States are not as health and safety conscious as we nanny Brits are!!! The States, by and large, rely on each citizen, as MATURE ADULTS, to look out for themselves regarding health and safety, whereas, the Brits seem to rely on the government here to tell them how to live every second of their lives, because the Brits havent got one single brain cell to think for themselves!!!

    Total crap there is no nanny state or excessive H&S legislation. Apart from a few minor updates here and there H&S legislation has changed very little in the last forty years. Most of the the crap in the papers about ELF n Safety gone mad is about self imposed rules to avoid the risk of litigation and has very little about acctual safety. A lot of the stories are also the result of a single incident involving a lone official who can't be bothered too do their job so make up some non existent rule which the papers re tell without checking the facts.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    Jane Doh! wrote: »
    Are you sure about that? Sounds utter nonsense to me.

    It is utter nonsense. http://www.osha.gov/

    At my coffee shop in Seattle we had to put lids on cups too.

    Sorry, TVGirl :D
  • TVGirl319TVGirl319 Posts: 2,127
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    epicurian wrote: »
    It is utter nonsense. http://www.osha.gov/

    At my coffee shop in Seattle we had to put lids on cups too.

    Sorry, TVGirl :D

    Thats my point!! In the USA all employers and retailers, commercial businesses and the service industry has OSHA breathing down their necks, so everyone over there had better tow the line and look out for themselves regarding health and safety, because if OSHA gets involved, then God help you!! OSHA has the power to enforce health and safety measures on your business or you can risk multi-million dollar lawsuits and even have your business closed down by the government!!

    Over here, its all a lot of hot wind, because theres no OSHA-type government agency over here!!
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    TVGirl319 wrote: »
    Thats my point!! In the USA all employers and retailers, commercial businesses and the service industry has OSHA breathing down their necks, so everyone over there had better tow the line and look out for themselves regarding health and safety, because if OSHA gets involved, then God help you!! OSHA has the power to enforce health and safety measures on your business or you can risk multi-million dollar lawsuits and even have your business closed down by the government!!

    Over here, its all a lot of hot wind, because theres no OSHA-type government agency over here!!


    I might be crazy, but this post appears to completely contradict post 13.
  • User name not foundUser name not found Posts: 3,990
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    excelents wrote: »
    Most, but not all of this c*ap they spout is a load of old fa*ny.

    It's the compensation culture :mad: :mad: we're in that has created the issues.

    Insurance cover has increased due to the "Get rich quick brigade" :mad: :mad:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 21,093
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    epicurian wrote: »
    I might be crazy, but this post appears to completely contradict post 13.

    No you're not crazy.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    No you're not crazy.

    Thank god. I was almost worried.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 21,093
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Thank god. I was almost worried.

    Well, you are a little bit, but then so am I :D
  • spiney2spiney2 Posts: 27,058
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    its insurance. if you sue they may have to pay out. so insurance comapnies insist on these things ......
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    Well, you are a little bit, but then so am I :D

    :D:D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 696
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    TVGirl319 wrote: »
    Thats my point!! In the USA all employers and retailers, commercial businesses and the service industry has OSHA breathing down their necks, so everyone over there had better tow the line and look out for themselves regarding health and safety, because if OSHA gets involved, then God help you!! OSHA has the power to enforce health and safety measures on your business or you can risk multi-million dollar lawsuits and even have your business closed down by the government!!

    Over here, its all a lot of hot wind, because theres no OSHA-type government agency over here!!
    The Health and Safety Executive says hi. http://www.hse.gov.uk/
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