Health and Safety… whatever.

The work electrifying the lift bridge at Thrupp is finally going to be finished today, so they say. The idea is that we will no longer have to pull the chain to open the bridge and sit on the balance beam to hold it open. Now we can press a button.  This has all, apparently, been done for health and safety. The accident we all refer to is the one where the drunkard who was stoned chained the bridge down climbed up it and jumped off the opened bridge resulting in two broken legs. So, this is what we have so far:

A console with all the buttons.  It was going to be positioned so the operator had their back to the bridge – not a good idea.  It has now been rotated to that the operator can see what is happening with the bridge and traffic before opening.

To access the console you have to step over this wall and stand on a slope. I leant against the wooden ‘safety fence’ and it wobbled:

So, one could say, well, enter the console zone from  the other side – but you can’t:

The concrete goes right up to the fence, so you would trip over that too.

This rules out the operation for the disabled and infirm, and if I am anything to go by the perfectly healthy person. Tripping over the wall and into a rickety fence is a hazard in itself.. surely?! Apparently this bridge is being done for health and safety, but there is no regard for health and safety in the installation and usage of the new mechanism..

I just don’t get it.