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Thread ID: 60964	2005-08-20 02:05:00	Obsessed With Safety?	Terry Porritt (14)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
382411	2005-08-20 02:05:00	For over a generation now, it seems the do-gooders have been obsessed with saftey and protecting people from themselves with legislation, all in the name providing a "safe environment". A few years ago, this is what Lindsay Perigo had to say about it: "Regardless of whether the Trentham closure is really the result of an anti-gun plot - rather than a matter of safety - there is no doubt at all that our increasing obsession with safety is responsible for a steady erosion of individual liberty. The growing number of regulations being introduced to protect us in the name of safety, health and other lofty ideals, are eroding our freedom, choice and personal responsibility. The whole process appears very insidious in that each small regulation, taken on its own, seems trivial. Taken together, however, they amount to a wholesale attack on our independence: what is deemed to be unhealthy or dangerous is banned, and what is considered healthy or beneficial is made compulsory... "We appear to be heading towards a society where dangerous sports will no longer be permitted, where risk taking will be illegal, and where it is almost not worth getting out of bed in a morning... Taken from here: www.freeradical.co.nz It's worth reading. When I was a kid I used to make my own fireworks, make my own mains powered wireless sets, go off biking on my own for a whole day, jump off outhouse roofs with homemade parachutes, used to make catapaults, had an airgun. Now we see a posting where someone is "blown away" in horror because of electric shocking toys. OMG, when I was at school, I used to connect up a shocking coil to the classroom door handle, the other lead to the radiator, excellent on a wet day. Of course we all wore leather boots/shoes with tips/studs/nails, so the conductivity was good :) Great fun was had by all. Now tramping clubs, over-weighted with geriatrics, are having difficulties getting younger members to join, probably because they have been taught at school or by their parents that it is too dangerous. Where is all going to end?	Terry Porritt (14)
382412	2005-08-20 02:15:00	I used to stack 13 on top of each other with a plank of wood leaning against it. I would then ride from the top of the drive and do a jump (err, more of a tumble/fall) off the ramp I'd made. I'm all for removal of warning labels and the removal of OSH.	Jeremy (1197)
382413	2005-08-20 04:28:00	I'd have to totally agree with Terry. I'm not old (well- in my 40's if that means anything). I was brought up in a family of 6 kids in a time when things were 'less PC' and and less 'regulated'. My parents believed in teaching self responsibility and made it clear what would likely happen if you climbed above a certain height in that tree. Basicly they gave us all a good grounding in how to behave, how to take care of ourselves then let us go out and try things. That way you pretty quickly learn how far you can push the boundaries... I think it's called 'life skills'. Nowdays it seems that parents abdicate responsibility for bringing up their kids and rely on regulation to keep them safe/out of trouble. You can take your kids to school knowing that's it's a no-no to physically punish them, that they won't get hurt playing on the jungle gym because the've been deemed unsafe and removed. In a wider sense regarding regulation and the 'Nanny State' I say: tell people the possible dangers involved in their actions and let karma take it's course.	Shortcircuit (1666)
382414	2005-08-20 05:29:00	Pain is one of lifes greatest teachers. Example. When you have drawn the short straw on testing the flying fox ensure it is tied on properly. That first step was a doosy :)	Sam I Am (1679)
382415	2005-08-20 06:37:00	Now tramping clubs, over-weighted with geriatrics, are having difficulties getting younger members to join, probably because they have been taught at school or by their parents that it is too dangerous. Where is all going to end? Most young people who I have tried talking into to go tramping, fishing, camping and surfing are too busy working trying to pay off their mortgages, or else too lazy. I am all for clamping down on people's rights and freedoms to keep them safe and healthy, because when they get hurt/sick I have to pay through tax for their medical expenses. If everyone had private health insurance or otherwise look after themselves, then great - do anything they want.	vinref (6194)
382416	2005-08-20 07:06:00	i've made potato cannons, great fun. Plus various other... devices... I'm the 'current generation', and you have to take a risk to get things done if you want to have any fun. I've never been caught by the police or other authorities, you just can't do something stupid and expect to get away with it... I do get worried at times, if a cop searched me, i would be in big trouble for stuff that was perfectly acceptable 20 years ago. I'll just claim its a physics experiment for most things, but it depends on the cop. Most cops seem to be fine with a lot if you don't say something along the lines of 'f**k the po-lice' to them - chances are they can rememeber doing similar things.	DangerousDave (697)
382417	2005-08-20 08:07:00	Absolutely agree T. Went into a steel merchants and a timber merchants the other day,they were all dressed in these fluorescent clothes,I asked if they liked looking like demented Christmas trees,they said it was osh rules,so that was that. The clothing people must be laughing all the way to the bank.	Cicero (40)
382418	2005-08-20 08:34:00	Ever seen a man squashed dead due to not being seen by a machine operator? Not a pretty sight. A vest is a small price to pay. Ever driven macheniry and nearly hit someone? Vests are good idea.	Metla (12)
382419	2005-08-20 08:48:00	Ever seen a man squashed dead due to not being seen by a machine operator? Not a pretty sight. A vest is a small price to pay. Ever driven macheniry and nearly hit someone? Vests are good idea. Yeah. I drive a forklift. Theres this one driver who must have a death wish. So far he has: Stuck his hand in between two pallets as I was sliding them along the deck. Walked in front / behind the fork on numerous occasions. Had kids with him on the holidays and let them run around. He just looked at me as if I was plain silly when I asked him to put his bloody vest on. Im really not sure how he got so old. I worked on a 30 ft crayfish boat for 3 years, I had quite a bit of trouble intergrating myself into an OSH run environment.	Sam I Am (1679)
382420	2005-08-20 09:26:00	Ever seen a man squashed dead due to not being seen by a machine operator? Not a pretty sight. A vest is a small price to pay. Ever driven machinery and nearly hit someone? Vests are good idea. Could I suggest a hat with flashing lights,that idea will send you into paroxysms of delight.	Cicero (40)
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