My daft, lazy cousin fell off a ladder , got a “sore” ankle & had a few days off. His employer finished him as soon as possible after the investigation etc was over.
TJ to the forum.
Yeah something is missing from that story.
A few weeks off for what reason?
Shaken by the whole thing after an Aircon didn't degas fully?
The motor trades gone soft
Well, carbon monoxide doesn't smell either which is why it's known as a silent killer.
This gas is certainly not related to an Aircon system but is related to combustion such as boilers and car exhausts.
Certainly still more to come out.......
r134A will displace oxygen in the air at low lying points - so if he was say lying down in a pit under the car
Barring that its unlikely the air con had anything to do with it or amateur bodgers would be keeling over all over the land .
doesnt acount for the gas smell.
I can assure you I did read the whole thread. And whilst I can understand the lad seems a very sensitive person, this certainly does not seem something you would expect a typical 21 year old mechanic to need to take a couple weeks off for.
From the details you have told us it sounds more plausible that the lad had a panic attack when his colleague mentioned smelling gas; his symptoms certainly sound more like a panic attack/anxiety.
Focusing straight on a compensation claim for this is even more pathetic though.
Cougar wrote:
It sounds now like he’s going to go to the doctor tomorrow with a view to getting signed off for a couple of weeks. If nothing else it’ll give him time to process what’s happened rather than making any rash decisions.
Any physical symptoms aside, he’s been rather badly shaken by the whole thing.
Reportable to whom?
Signed off with what exactly?
Long story short, he’s spent the afternoon in hospital for a battery of blood tests, X-rays etc. They’ve now discharged him
Seems there is nothing medically wrong or is a case wanting as much money as he can extract? Do hope his employer doesn't lurk here
The young lad involved in this minor work place incident would benefit more from objective words of reassurrance from an older & wiser adult putting things into perspective and getting him back to work asap - before his employers label him a bit of a liability and fire him off at the earliest opportunity..
Filling his head with thoughts of compo claims and taking several weeks off on the sick is poor handling of the issue to be perfectly blunt.
Hes putting his own job in jeopardy following such advice ......
It sounds now like he’s going to go to the doctor tomorrow with a view to getting signed off for a couple of weeks. If nothing else it’ll give him time to process what’s happened rather than making any rash decisions.
Any physical symptoms aside, he’s been rather badly shaken by the whole thing.
If he does he'll probably find himself unemployed at the first "convenient" opportunity.
He's not hurt, his best option is to get back to work and discuss what might have happened. That or find another line of work. Is he happy with what he's doing, in general and with his current employer ?
This will sound harsh but assuming he's genuinely affected and not just milking it he needs to go into work and find out what happened not sit at home crying about it.
It can only really be 2 things, faulty machine in which case there's probably not much he could have done about it. Or the other option is he made a mistake and needs to learn a lesson from it. Has he been trained properly? You said the other guy walked in and noticed it so why didn't he?
You said he's been there a few years so I'm guessing he's a decent lad but just going off sick will more than likely harm his career prospects, you can argue all day whether it's right or wrong for employers do to it but that's what happens in reality.
He would be better off going in and then having a chat with his boss and explaining how much its affected him if it really is that bad.
Hello cougar?
Tiny bit of a story on the lad that was sacked. From which its impossible to know who is at fault.
On the OP - again not enough info but FFS it really does not sound like something you need to be off work for and panic attack sounds as likely as anything
I would tend to agree with Mark above - if its that he is shaken and upset ( and we do not know if this is reasonable or not) but going in and talking with the boss is a better idea than going to the GP and being signed off with "stress". Apart from anything else it makes it harder to go back " getting back on the horse"
What's this youngster going to do the day he skins his knuckles when a spanner slips?
Depending on the set up at the dealership, and assuming some sort of report is to be made, this may be a Local Authority issue rather than an HSE issue.
If the garage only offers minor workshop facilities then it is the LA.
From the HSE website:
Sites or premises engaged in the sale of vehicles with minor workshop facilities used mainly in support of retail sales. Activities would typically involve pre-sales servicing, minor repairs, and adjustments, and valeting. Such facilities would not offer the full range of repairs and maintenance and will not offer body repairs or modifications.
I think before he goes reporting it anywhere he needs to at least get a consistant story.
And as someone has previously suggested - stop filling the sensitive little lads head with nonsense about compensation claims that will undoubtedly impact negatively on his career prospects.
The compensation culture is a scourge of todays society and not something you should be promoting.
Its not for him to report anyway unless his bosses do not do what reporting is needed.
My money is on.. sadly is hes not used the machine properly.
Also I doubt the gas has done him any harm. If he wasn't aware until someone told him I'd say hes had his back to the job or stood up.
I'd not be pushing compo. 20yrs in the job most injuries are people short cutting or being careless
Even if the machine failed to completely empty the system of the (non toxic) gas, then it's still the technicians responsibility to determine that case. Which is easy, cause when you crack a fitting it goes "hisssssssss" as the (not empltied) gas leaks out under pressure...........
Most A/C servicing instructions are implicit in this respect, asking the technican to listen for escaping gas when the system is disconnected.
I think your friend is going to be very disappointed at the amount of "compensation" likely for a half day physical injury with some minor anxiety falling short of a specific diagnosis.
Signed off with what exactly?
Dunno, that's for the doctor to decide, they might well not sign him off at all if the think there's nowt wrong.
Look, the whole thing is Chinese whispers, I've no idea whether he was genuinely in a life-threatening situation or whether he / his girlfriend are massively over-reacting. If he's not feeling able to work though, whether that's physical or psychological, is seeing a doctor such a bad idea?
Seems there is nothing medically wrong or is a case wanting as much money as he can extract?
Filling his head with thoughts of compo claims and taking several weeks off on the sick is poor handling of the issue to be perfectly blunt.
stop filling the sensitive little lads head with nonsense about compensation claims
Once more with feeling:
No-one has mentioned compensation at all other than me, on here, and I rather wish I hadn't. It was a rushed post as I've explained several times now.
Neither have I given him any advice or "filled his head" with anything other than suggesting via proxy that he should make sure work follows it up, I've spoken about two sentences to him since it happened.
Dunno, that’s for the doctor to decide, they might well not sign him off at all if the think there’s nowt wrong.
No it’s not. You go in to see a doctor with a problem, I’m not sure what problem he’s going in to present?
Didnt the hospital conduct blood tests in order to check for poisoning ?
And then release him a few hours later when results returned negative ?
God knows what more you think a GP is going to do with a poxy stethoscope and a 5 minute appointment window..........
I'm deeply envious of someone who can get a GP appointment at short notice to get a sick note. I'd probably be looking at 3 weeks minimum to get a non-urgent appointment round here.
My GP's practice only does same day appointments. You've to ring at 8:30 to book, and if you call at 8:31 they've all gone.
Our GP's changed to a triage system, you phone at 8.30 to get a spot on the list for a callback from a nurse/Dr. Then they decide if they actually need to see you (today, tomorrow, whenever the next appointment is), or you should be in A&E, or just go to the chemist etc.
If you phone later than 8:31 you have to sound really ill to get appended to the list!
Also they've stopped doing sick notes, you now get a fit to work note that says what you can / can't do. It's then upto the employer to put you on light duties etc if the Dr says no heavy machinery, driving etc.
I'd advise a little caution, if he's been sent to hospital, and certainly if he takes time off making it an LTI then any company (particularly if it's a large chain of dealers) will want to investigate it properly, both as a pen pushing exercise to satisfy the HSE that their duties have been done and more importantly because this sort of thing get's very expensive (they've already lost half a days work, potentially more, a customer presumably then didn't get their car back etc). So he should do whatever he thinks is right, but expect to be questioned about it (i.e. they'll want to know what the impact of the incident was so if he's hamming it up he might look a bit stupid).
Contrary to some opinions in this thread, H&S isn't about punishments, fines and compensation (although that's what makes the news), it's about not causing problems that ultimately cost a lot more than preventing them! For example was the machine faulty, or do they need to re-train staff to screw the nozzles on fully so it doesn't read zero pressure incorrectly (if that's why it might go green incorrectly). Done correctly the outcome shouldn't be identifying a trouble maker, or punishing mistakes, it should be identifying that any member of staff could have made a mistake as perhaps the training wasn't thorough or frequent enough. It's only about punishment if he was being negligent despite adequate training, or a manager gave him a task without adequate training.
Filling his head with thoughts of compo claims and taking several weeks off on the sick is poor handling of the issue to be perfectly blunt.
Which was why I advised seeking union advice in the first instance, they should have a good handle on what is and isn't the correct way to handle things and if there is even a case to answer at all. Certainly a better idea than any of the armchair experts on here.
FWIW I don't know if motor services have their own union but that's besides the point, the likes of GMB will give advice and offer to sit in on any discussions as anyone is legally entitled to. The function in this case isn't to crawl all over the business or set HSE onto them, that only becomes necessary if the employer has been negligent and has no interest in resolving the issue.
TINAS has summed it up rather well.
My GP’s practice only does same day appointments. You’ve to ring at 8:30 to book, and if you call at 8:31 they’ve all gone.
Mine does the same, but there are a very limited number of slots available to be dished out on the day. If you don't get one and are suitably insistent I think you might get a call back but you won't be getting one for a sick note when you can self certify for the first 7 days anyway.
Also they’ve stopped doing sick notes, you now get a fit to work note that says what you can / can’t do. It’s then upto the employer to put you on light duties etc if the Dr says no heavy machinery, driving etc.
It’s been that way several years now.
Fir notes are my GP are done by phone consultation if they feel the need to see you face to face you’ll have an appointment the same or next day.
I’m sorry….. but isn’t “your mate” jumping ahead of himself a wee bit?
Is it possible that the Air-Con equipment was indeed CORRECTLY maintained and that YOUR MATE (the user, like) operated it incorrectly?
Is that a possibility? I mean really? Even a tiny possibility of your mate not operating it correctly or is he some Air-Con guru who has won International Awards for his 500% safety record when using every type of Air-Con system know to man (and then went on to set up “Air-Con Rescue” specialising in using complicated Air-Con systems to refloat sunken Russian Nuclear subs or something? Again with a TOTALLY unblemished success rate over a 50 year career? Really is your mate THAT good?
The weakest point in any system is the “end-user.” That’s where I would start the investigation. I’d also ignore my “mate” Big Kev who says management are all **** “cuz they’re always making us use crap gear.”
Now I know I'm committing the cardinal sin of commenting on a first page post without reading the rest of the thread first, but...
In the eyes of the law, and good safety practice, relying on the end user is the last, and least preferable, line of defence. If lawyers4u were involved, they'd rip this argument to shreds if your mate's mate's employer were daft enough to use it.
Is it possible that the Air-Con equipment was indeed CORRECTLY maintained and that YOUR MATE (the user, like) operated it incorrectly?
Is that a possibility? I mean really? Even a tiny possibility of your mate not operating it correctly or is he some Air-Con guru who has won International Awards for his 500% safety record when using every type of Air-Con system know to man (and then went on to set up “Air-Con Rescue” specialising in using complicated Air-Con systems to refloat sunken Russian Nuclear subs or something? Again with a TOTALLY unblemished success rate over a 50 year career? Really is your mate THAT good?
The weakest point in any system is the “end-user.” That’s where I would start the investigation. I’d also ignore my “mate” Big Kev who says management are all **** “cuz they’re always making us use crap gear.”
That's one of the worst posts ever. Do you live in 1953?
If a system for performing routine maintenance on a very commonplace system, is so complicated that it requires someone to have incredibly rare and highly developed skills, in order to operate safely, then it is simply not fit for purpose.
Going riiiiiiight back to the OP - what was the outcome of the discussion the lad had with the HR department?
By way of possible reassurance, as well as being a component of AirCon systems, this chemical is also used as a propellant in metered dose inhalers, for the likes of asthma etc. This means that people with such conditions are deliberately breathing it in several times a day, every day for years. OK arguably he may have had a temporary higher dose, but if all the checks at the time were OK, then I do not think he needs to worry, just follow through with any medical advice he has been given.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane
