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Public issues with trailing hose....

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We won a tender to clean 3500 properties a year or two ago, one of the things that swung it was the fact we wouldn’t leave hoses on pedestrian walkways. Did it all from trolleys.

 
Hey Guys and Girls,

I was on a job today and I could not park that close to the house, so I reeled out and made sure my hose was nice and neat with minimal trip hazzards, the part on the pavement I put x2 cones and then started the job.  Whilst finishing up a woman with a buggy came up the street and made out she needed to be an Olympic hurdler to get over the hose, she was muttering some words under her breath which were not pleasant, but I just wondered in regards to an insurance claim, are the cones enough to say hazard and you are covered?. Any body else had these issues.

Actually second time this week someone’s has had a pop a me, that time is because I parked on the pavement and blocked it. Again I put the cones up because the house is on the junction of a mini round about in a quite village, but I can’t park in the road as there’s not enough room if the bus comes down, then some guy said “well that’s f***ing good, now I have to walk in the road”. I must be having one of those weeks!!

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Get some cheap rubber mat. Or look at stage equipment performance supplies or office supplies. Ebay and get some hazard mat. That's all I use with my signs. 

small_51-cable-mat.jpeg

 
I don't put any cones out for the window cleaning hose, its hi viz. Majority can see it. Cones are just another trip hazard. I sometimes use cones for pressure washing if oncoming people might get soaked, or the black hose is running across pavement as its thicker hose.

 
Yeah you cant beat a Gardiners back pack for quick access. Mine started leaking today.... Probably need to replace it.

 
I did 25 houses with a Gardiner back pack a few weeks ago when my van was off the road. 8am - 4pm it was still going..

 
I did 25 houses with a Gardiner back pack a few weeks ago when my van was off the road. 8am - 4pm it was still going..
The battery in those things is amazing! I only really use mine for chemical application, but sometimes I think I better charge it up, and it’s literally done in 10mins! 

 
A lawyer would take the case on because they would state that you could use a backpack so you don't need the van near the house. Pavements are for pedestrians not for parking vehicles nor bikes. The law up here will eventually be adopted down south. A pedestrian got hit by a cyclist who was cycling along a pavement and died.
There is a saying "where there is blame, there is a claim" remember a time when Councils were receiving claims from people tripping and falling due to uneven pavement slabs.

 
I don't put any cones out for the window cleaning hose, its hi viz. Majority can see it. Cones are just another trip hazard. I sometimes use cones for pressure washing if oncoming people might get soaked, or the black hose is running across pavement as its thicker hose.
What if someone trips? can you say you took all reasonable precautions.....a solicitor may counter "where there any signs warning of the hose". Reason you see all those "wet floor" signs in shops and stores etc, to try to negate people falling and claiming.

 
Yep, seen that too.

Had the park on the hose thing the other week. Some friendly young chap pulled up and parked smack on my hose and makes to get out of his car. So I ask him politely to roll his car forward. He's friendly thankfully, and we both have a laugh. He says 'sorry fella, I never saw it.'

I'm thinking, 'I'm nearly six foot, I'm 16 1/2 stone. My bright blue trolley is not six feet away and my hose is bright green. How can you not see me.'  Where his head was at I don't know.
Lots of people these days on auto and just don't think, I've had people do the same 

 
Very rarely put hose across pavement but if i do put a trip hazard sign up but keep eye out for elderly , blind or stupid people only looking at phones . 

 
What if someone trips? can you say you took all reasonable precautions.....a solicitor may counter "where there any signs warning of the hose". Reason you see all those "wet floor" signs in shops and stores etc, to try to negate people falling and claiming.
Someone blind or someone not paying attention could trip over a cone, then theres the question how many cones do you put down, say you have 20 meters hose out would 10/20 cones be enough?

By putting the cones out your stating there is a trip hazard. By just using hi viz hose my argument would be I have taken reasonable precautions....

Just one of those things you hope never happens....

 
Someone blind or someone not paying attention could trip over a cone, then theres the question how many cones do you put down, say you have 20 meters hose out would 10/20 cones be enough?

By putting the cones out your stating there is a trip hazard. By just using hi viz hose my argument would be I have taken reasonable precautions....

Just one of those things you hope never happens....
If you're doing a row of say 6 houses we just cone the top and bottom ends, our working area. This won't cover those that cross the street though but hopefully the fact the cones are within site will cover us.

 
One of those things we will only know all the facts when a court case arises. The judge will give out his findings and set a precedent that's what usually happens.
It will never get that far, it would be like someone driving along in a car and hitting something and trying to claim they didn't see it well you should be paying attention to your surroundings will be the argument, 

These former were there's blame there is claim firms will happily jump on something given a chance as they now take out insurance policies to cover the legal costs to cover themselves,

they will push it to the limits or do so with car insurance claims the step son of a custy of mine was convinced by one of these firms after a minor bump he was eligible for a payout to cut a long story short he wasn't and  fast forward 18 months or whatever it was they had even roped in a barrister then he got latter saying he should drop the case otherwise he could be liable to be committing perjury in court, he got nowt but the solicitors will have got a nice insurance payout to cover all their costs, 

I do up to 14 houses in a street in one block of work it would be an absolute P.I.A to be lugging about my wfp pull 100m of hose out and  2 heavy cones 

 
Putting out cones is just part of basic Rams.

You can argue about people tripping over the cones and not putting them out because of this but it just won't stand up.

Every job you do should have basic Rams if you've done none you will have full liability on you.

 
Putting out cones is just part of basic Rams.

You can argue about people tripping over the cones and not putting them out because of this but it just won't stand up.

Every job you do should have basic Rams if you've done none you will have full liability on you.
I always do on the two small commercial jobs I do, but not on residential work I work on my own and have done for over 20 years so there ain't no rams for me. 

 
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