Cars parked at Owners Risk?...

Carlo said:
No, but i am a member of our H&S committee.
Would love to know why your sides are splitting at the thought of a company's legal obligation to keep their employees workplace safe? :thinking:
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...cos it's not the workplace?


Heather
 
I'm all for safety in the workplace, I'm responsible for safety at my place of work and take my duties seriously however this duty of care can be stretched to absurd lengths as can be often seen in some public sector departments. We are in danger of absolving every single person of any responsibility for themselves or there actions regardless.

Do I think employers everywhere should have to manually check all roads, car parks on there premises/yards etc for tiny nails screws etc etc as a 'Duty of care' ? Or risk prosecution and financial loss? Definitely not, if h&s was implemented so pedantically in every workplace the country would grind to a halt because it would be unsafe to leave your house. So yes my sides are splitting at the absurdity.
 
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Carlo said:
No, but i am a member of our H&S committee.
Would love to know why your sides are splitting at the thought of a company's legal obligation to keep their employees workplace safe? :thinking:
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If I got a screw through the bottom of my shoe whilst I was in the office then yes, H&S would probably have a few questions to answer but in the OP's scenario I would expect to get laughed out of the office :lol:
 
Graham_P_Clarke said:
Its just a hazard of motoring, I wish I could buy a tyre for that price its just cost me best part of £400 for a pair for my Mondeo :gag:
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What tyres did you get? Mine 225/40x18 Continental Contact Sport 3's cost about £130 a corner.
 
King of Groove said:
To clarify the situation our garage is typical of most bus garages.

There is an area, by the fuel bays which is buses only. On a slightly lower level is a small car park which is only suitable for cars.

The rest of the site is used by both buses and cars.At night time the rest of the site might be occupied by buses and small repairs could be undertaken on them. As buses depart cars will occupy those spaces and so on..

I'm not sure why American, blame culture have come in to this thread. I'm just the latest in a long list of drivers, at work, who have suffered the same fate. Some drivers have had it happen more than once.

Yes it is very difficult to prove but it's one heck of set of amazing coincidences!! I recognise they probably won't pay but if it helps to change practices it might stop it happening to others.

I have even suggested they use some sort of tray to collect screws etc that could fall on the ground so avoiding any problems. But apparently is an added cost.
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you must have a screw loose:thumbs: if you complain to the management they may stop you parking for free???? in the workplace carpark, so you will then have to pay to park elsewhere, which i bet will cost more than the price of your tyre per year:thinking:
 
tezmed said:
i hate those disclaimer signs!!!

i had my car towed to a dealership (without myself being present) due to brake failure.... the dealershipleft my vehicle unlocked for an entire weekend, and about £6500 sound system went walkies without me knowing...

they then realised their mistake and broke a tiny window in the back door and made out that some thieves had broken into the motor and stolen the stuff..... my motor (if had been locked correctly) was deadlocked so no soundsystem could have been removed through a 6 inch wide window, especially due to the fact there was no damage on the motor at all....

the dealership blamed the breakdown people and they blamed the dealership, so i ended up mega out of pocket, unable to claim due to the rediculous sign they have wonky on the wall!! very unfair!!
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Parking at Owners Risk signs at a dealership only concerns people visiting a dealer. If the car is actually there for work to be undertaken the car then becomes their responsibilty and is covered by their insurance. You should have claimed off their insurance and you shouldn't have been left out of pocket.
 
Carlo said:
No, but i am a member of our H&S committee.
Would love to know why your sides are splitting at the thought of a company's legal obligation to keep their employees workplace safe? :thinking:
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I guess you want to ban kettles and hot drinks as they can cause burns - after all banning those would keep peopel safe in the workplace!

H&S is essential but we read every day of people taking it too far and banning hanging baskets and conker fights!
 
Carlo said:
also some of the replies! wind your necks in please!
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Oh sorry, the big boss has spoken! Wind our necks in indeed, WTF??!

All valid comments as far as I'm concerned. The employer does not owe a duty of care to the employees cars. Neither is a car park the "workplace" for the OPs purposes.

As stated, he's lucky to get parking, some people pay hundreds of pounds a year to be able to park near their work places.
 
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cambsno said:
I guess you want to ban kettles and hot drinks as they can cause burns - after all banning those would keep peopel safe in the workplace!

H&S is essential but we read every day of people taking it too far and banning hanging baskets and conker fights!
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i was initially referring to your comment here;

"Why should your employer pay? How on earth can they be responsible for ensuring there is no broken glass or loose screws around. This is endemic of the blame culture we live in. Things happen, and its no-ones fault. I am sure you would be the 1st to moan if the employer closed the car park because if my staff had that attitude I would."

i think you'll find they are responsible for picking up broken glass!

oh, odd jim :thumbs: thanks for the fatuous sarcasm.
 
Ooooh it's time for popcorn, I'd been thinking that things had been quiet for a while.

There's still been no attempt at explaining how a screw got in the sidewall. Should be next to impossible unless someone put it there or the tyre is seriously deflated, in which case i would have bigger concerns than a £65 tyre if I can't even maintain tyre pressures.
 
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cambsno said:
H&S is essential but we read every day of people taking it too far and banning hanging baskets and conker fights!
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Conkers can really hurt though :(
 
odd jim said:
Oh sorry, the big boss has spoken! Wind our necks in indeed, WTF??!

All valid comments as far as I'm concerned. The employer does not owe a duty of care to the employees cars. Neither is a car park the "workplace" for the OPs purposes.
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If the bus company are using the car parking area as a workplace as the OP has intimated, then it does become a workplace and they should have a duty of care to ensure it is kept clean and safe for other users/uses.
 
Carlo said:
i was initially referring to your comment here;

"Why should your employer pay? How on earth can they be responsible for ensuring there is no broken glass or loose screws around. This is endemic of the blame culture we live in. Things happen, and its no-ones fault. I am sure you would be the 1st to moan if the employer closed the car park because if my staff had that attitude I would."

i think you'll find they are responsible for picking up broken glass!

oh, odd jim :thumbs: thanks for the fatuous sarcasm.
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Unless they employ a bloke with a metal detector to go over the area every hour, I cant see how they can be responsible for things like screws. Sure, they are responsible in the workplace for basic safety but there are so many variables things will still happen.

So what policy would you have in place to prevent it happening?
 
nilagin said:
If the bus company are using the car parking area as a workplace as the OP has intimated, then it does become a workplace and they should have a duty of care to ensure it is kept clean and safe for other users/uses.
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They repair the buses in the car park, where does it say that?
 
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Carlo said:
i was initially referring to your comment here;

"Why should your employer pay? How on earth can they be responsible for ensuring there is no broken glass or loose screws around. This is endemic of the blame culture we live in. Things happen, and its no-ones fault. I am sure you would be the 1st to moan if the employer closed the car park because if my staff had that attitude I would."

i think you'll find they are responsible for picking up broken glass!

oh, odd jim :thumbs: thanks for the fatuous sarcasm.
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You're welcome!
 
cambsno said:
Unless they employ a bloke with a metal detector to go over the area every hour, I cant see how they can be responsible for things like screws. Sure, they are responsible in the workplace for basic safety but there are so many variables things will still happen.

So what policy would you have in place to prevent it happening?
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Don't let employees park on the car park at all. Job done. No extra cash outlay no ridiculous red tape to wade through.
 
King of Groove said:
To clarify the situation our garage is typical of most bus garages.

There is an area, by the fuel bays which is buses only. On a slightly lower level is a small car park which is only suitable for cars.

The rest of the site is used by both buses and cars.At night time the rest of the site might be occupied by buses and small repairs could be undertaken on them. As buses depart cars will occupy those spaces and so on..
I'm not sure why American, blame culture have come in to this thread. I'm just the latest in a long list of drivers, at work, who have suffered the same fate. Some drivers have had it happen more than once.

Yes it is very difficult to prove but it's one heck of set of amazing coincidences!! I recognise they probably won't pay but if it helps to change practices it might stop it happening to others.

I have even suggested they use some sort of tray to collect screws etc that could fall on the ground so avoiding any problems. But apparently is an added cost.
Click to expand...

odd jim said:
They repair the buses in the car park, where does it say that?
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Working in a stamping plant we have lots of scrap metal all of it larger and sharper than a screw. Sometimes some of it falls out of scrap bins. People clear the rogue bits of scrap with a magnetic sweeper as the roadways within the confines of the plant are used by contractors, employees and delivery drivers alike. The same magnetic sweepers are used within the press shop too because vehicles have to come inside sometimes too. Not eveyone is fortunate to have puncture repair moose on their tyres like we do on our internal vehicles.
It's not hard or expensive to afford a duty of care to other peoples property.
 
If the screws on the car park floor are likely to be coming from work done on the buses in said car park why not suggest they supply their mechanics with one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/magnetic-parts-tray/13203?_requestid=915392
have seen them cheaper elsewhere too. Or if they say its more expense then each employee put a couple of quid in a buy a few for them, worth it if it does prevent stray screws.
if you do that and still get regular flat tyres then you know its not a problem with your works car park but probably something to do with your route to work
 
Perhaps it's the fault of whoever dropped the screw and failed to pick it up.

We were always taught "finishing a job includes clearing up".
 
Magnetic sweepers etc are all very well but there are loads of screws and other fastners around that aren't magnetic. Brass and stainless screws as well as aluminium roofing nails.

Were I the employer, I would close the staff car park forthwith and post notices explaining the reason and person responsible for the closure.
 
Tip for you fella, come in a pair of sandals, cut yourself on said objects, then ask why the yard has random offending dangerous items scattered around.
Watch the blood drain from their faces.

Assuming you didn't sign a disclaimer on suitable footwear?

Also if you are parking in the company *YARD* and maintenance work is going on in that *YARD* the company does have a responsibility to maintaining a safe workplace.

If a client came in to the yard and office to book a motor for whatever purpose they wouldn't think twice about claiming.

PS, sounds like the fitters faults.
 
A safe working environment for the staff NOT for A car tyre.
 
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BarryDawsib said:
Tip for you fella, come in a pair of sandals, cut yourself on said objects, then ask why the yard has random offending dangerous items scattered around.
Watch the blood drain from their faces.

Assuming you didn't sign a disclaimer on suitable footwear?

Also if you are parking in the company *YARD* and maintenance work is going on in that *YARD* the company does have a responsibility to maintaining a safe workplace.

If a client came in to the yard and office to book a motor for whatever purpose they wouldn't think twice about claiming.

PS, sounds like the fitters faults.
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And your point is?????

This is about car parking and punctured tyres, not what's deemed appropriated footwear in a specific environment.....

Not really comparing like for like is it?
 
pepi1967 said:
A safe working environment for the staff NOT for A car tyre.
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but still, if they provide a car park, they have a duty of care that it is safe to use.

the OP stated "I recently left my car in the car park at work (bus garage)."
'Assuming' (dangerous word i know!) the car park and bus garage are the same area, or you have to pass one to get to the other, then it would be a workplace. Either way, it'd have to be kept safe.
What if bus tyres were getting punctures on a regular basis? i can guess they aren't cheap!
 
How exactly is a solitary loose screw in a carpark in any way "unsafe"

Surely as a H&S operative you also have to look at the potential risk factor of said unsafe loose screw

And how far does this duty of care extend, does it require a member of staff to clean the whole premises top to bottom with a fine tooth comb just in case any other solitary screws turn up

This really is a case of H&S gone mad if this is the case, is there no such thing as an accident these days, there always seems to have to be somebody else to blame........................ totally bonkers if you ask me
 
rpsmith79 said:
How exactly is a solitary loose screw in a carpark in any way "unsafe"

Surely as a H&S operative you also have to look at the potential risk factor of said unsafe loose screw

And how far does this duty of care extend, does it require a member of staff to clean the whole premises top to bottom with a fine tooth comb just in case any other solitary screws turn up

This really is a case of H&S gone mad if this is the case, is there no such thing as an accident these days, there always seems to have to be somebody else to blame........................ totally bonkers if you ask me
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i understand what you're saying, and this thread has gone to extremes with the examples mentioned.
To go back to the original question posed by the OP, 'maybe' they 'could' be liable, but proving the screw was theirs is nigh on impossible, so it's a chalk it up to experience situation.

ps. i still feel certain posters were a little er, rude and unhelpful to what was i'm sure a genuine question.
 
Carlo said:
ps. i still feel certain posters were a little er, rude and unhelpful to what was i'm sure a genuine question.
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True enough, but i think a fair few valid points were raised though, if people complain to their employers in this manor, the most likely outcome would be to stop allowing employees parking on company property as that is the cheapest/easiest option for the company
 
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