Don’t forget to institute and maintain your safety system

An interesting case has just been reported from the Outer House of the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland. The case concerned a school janitor who took on relief duties at a school in Inverclyde in icy weather. He proceeded to salt key routes around the school before staff and pupils arrived, but later slipped on a step which remained icy when recovering some litter during a break time.

The janitor, Stephen McKeown, sued Inverclyde Council for damages in breach of statutory duty in terms of regulations 5 and 12 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The local authority argued that it had a gritting system in place and that the system should have been followed. It turned out that neither Mr McKeown, nor the regular janitor at the school, nor the head teacher at the school, knew the gritting system in detail nor had they ever received any instruction nor training in it.

The Court found Inverclyde Council fully liable and, in giving his judgement, Lord Burns said:

I have come to the view that the defenders’ system … was a reasonable one. But it existed only on paper and was never actually put into action.

Such a system was reasonably practicable. The defenders devised it and thus must themselves have considered it to be so. Unfortunately, having devised it, they failed to institute or maintain that system.

This is, of course, nothing new in health and safety law. Any safe system of work includes, as a matter of course, training, instruction and supervision to ensure that it exists and is maintained.

To read the full judgement of Stephen McKeown v.Inverclyde Council, follow this link.

Evening Seascapes II

This is a view looking across the Sound of Jura which was taken last Friday evening, when there was a storm gathering over the islands. Helen and I were out at Keills, at the far end of a peninsula that lies between Loch Sween and the Sound of Jura. No post-processing.

Sunday lunch

Sunday lunch at the Glebe Cairn cafe in Kilmartin. Smoked salmon fishcakes for me, with a side order of The Observer, and a venison burger for Helen. Very good indeed.

Evening Seascapes I

The west coast of Scotland provides stunning opportunities for seascapes and evening views. I’ve always found something magical in looking west over islands at the end of the day.

A couple of weeks ago I went for a walk to Castle Dounie, a stone dun overlooking the Sound of Jura, and came back along the shore to Crinan Harbour and my car. The sun was low and there was a sea haze over the water, which gave me the opportunity for this shot. The island in the distance is Scarba.

The folks at www.geograph.org.uk liked it as well, and it was selected as the photograph of the week for which it was taken. The photo page is here.