Scrap Book Project – Danger, Water, Roads and Building Sites

Talking of catching things, we used to go fishing down the canal and this wasn’t quite so dangerous except when my friend Colin Barratt (who was forbidden by his parents to go to the canal on account of not being able to swim) fell in while struggling to land a four-ounce Perch with a home made rod and line.

One minute he was standing on the towpath with his garden cane rod and bit of string and there was an almighty splash and Colin was thrashing about in the water struggling for his life.  Between us we dragged him out without having to jump in ourselves and took him home and didn’t see him again for about three months after that but to make him feel better we told him that it was a monster Pike that had pulled him in.

Water always had a special attraction and when we weren’t messing about on the canal there was always Sprick Brook where we used to fish for minnows and red-breasted Sticklebacks and take them home in jam-jars in the days before goldfish.  Sprick brook ran under the railway bridge on Hillmorton Lane and was just the sort of place where you could have an accident and no one would find you for days.

One place that wasn’t nearly so dangerous as it is today were the roads and we used to play on our bikes without any real sense of danger and certainly without those silly cycle helmets that kids wear today.

Cycling however did get me into trouble once when I was about ten and persuaded some friends to tackle a cycle ride one afternoon to Leicester to see my grandparents without checking with anyone first.  I have to confess that this was both ambitious and thoughtless especially on a Raleigh Junior bike with 18” wheels and no lights and not in any way suitable for a fifty mile round trip.

Getting there was reasonably straightforward but the return journey was a bit more difficult on account of it being dark and us being completely knackered.  There was a search party that night for sure and I can remember being astonished about how much fuss was made over such a trivial incident when Dad intercepted me at Abbots Farm and sent me home immediately for a good telling off from Mum which turned out instead to be an emotional and tearful reunion and I can remember being thoroughly confused by that.

Apart from the dangers presented by the transport system there were other equally hazardous places to play as well.  Building sites for example.

There was a building boom in the 1960s and this presented all sorts of opportunities.  Especially good fun was climbing ladders and playing on the scaffolding and hiding in part constructed rooms.  There were piles of bricks to build camps (much better than Lego), sewer pipes to crawl through, sand and cement to kick around and oil drums and bits of timber to take away and use to build rafts to sail on the canal but this never worked either.

Once a passing police patrol car stopped and the officers watched us building a waterway craft with bits of material that we had ‘borrowed’.  They teased us by asking to see our boat license and then as we dawdled about hoping they would just drive off told us to hurry up and get on because they wanted to see us fall off and get wet before getting on with their duties.  We clambered aboard and didn’t disappoint them.  I can still hear them laughing as I write this.

Perhaps the dumbest and most dangerous thing we ever did on a building site was to go underground.  In preparation for new houses on Bridley Road there were some new storm drains installed so we lifted the manhole cover and went inside, crawled through the pipes and made a camp in an inspection chamber where we sat in candle light and thought that it was all great fun.  I dread to think now what might have happened if there had been a storm while we were down there.  I certainly wouldn’t be writing this retrospective journal.

Most of these dangerous places are closed off to children these days, the railway line is fenced, building sites are secure, the canal locks have wooden guardrails and you would have to be just plain daft to take a bike out on a main road.  Given the modern restrictions it’s hardly any wonder I suppose that today children have to stop at home and watch the television or play computer games and are denied the pleasure of real dangerous activity and that is a real shame.

The Health and Safety at Work Act Spoils Weekend Adventures

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 became law on the 22^nd March and defines the fundamental structure and authority for the regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.

Before the Act building sites were a great place to play at weekends or in the evenings after the builders had gone home. There was a building boom in the 1960s and this presented all sorts of opportunities for mischievous packs of boys.  Especially good fun was climbing ladders that had been conveniently left up against walls and which gave access to the upper floors and the external scaffolding.

The Act defines general duties on employers, employees, contractors, suppliers of goods and substances for use at work, persons in control of work premises, and those who manage and maintain them, and persons in general. It established a system of public supervision through the creation of the Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive and bestows extensive enforcement powers, ultimately backed by criminal sanctions extending to unlimited fines and imprisonment for up to two years.

Before the Act and the threat of imprisonment if anyone was injured in these dangerous playgrounds builders were generally pretty careless about tidying up before they dashed off to the pub at the end of the day and there were piles of bricks to build camps out of (much better than Lego), sewer pipes to crawl through, sand and cement to kick around and oil drums and bits of timber to take away and use to build rafts to sail on the canal.  This never really worked either and once a passing police patrol car stopped and the officers watched us building a waterway craft with bits of stuff we had ‘borrowed’.  They teased us by asking to see our boat license and then as we dawdled about hoping they would just drive off told us to hurry up and get on because they wanted to see us fall off and get wet before getting on with their duties.  We clambered aboard and didn’t disappoint them.  I can still hear them laughing as I write this.

Probably the most dangerous place we found to play in was an underground network of sewer pipes (before they were in use obviously) with a square chamber somewhere within the labyrinth where we used to crawl to with candles and just sit down there for no apparent reason other than we shouldn’t really have been there.  I dread to think now what would have happened if there had been a flash flood because we would have surely drowned.

Although I have to agree that it is most sensible, today the HSE provides spoil-sport guidance that warns children that:

 ‘Building sites are not playgrounds’

“Long summer evenings are a time for fun and adventure, unfortunately, all too often it can also be a time of tragedy”, said Jim Skilling, Principal Inspector of Construction.  “Understandably some children are drawn to construction sites as exciting places to play, but they are not playgrounds and playing on them can have fatal consequences. Industry and parents need to work together to ensure children’s safety. He advises:

warn children against playing in dangerous areas, including building sites;

make sure you know where your children are going, and when they will be back;

encourage them to play only in safe areas such as playgrounds;

workers should watch out for children playing around sites, if you see children, stop work and make sure they are off site before you begin again;

lay heavy objects on the ground or fix them firmly upright so they cannot fall onto children and injure them;

secure sites adequately when finishing work for the day;

never allow children to ride in construction plant machinery.

Where is the fun in all that regulation?

A Life in a Year – 22nd March, The Health and Safety at Work Act Spoils Weekend Play

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 became law on the 22^nd March and defines the fundamental structure and authority for the regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.

The Act defines general duties on employers, employees, contractors, suppliers of goods and substances for use at work, persons in control of work premises, and those who manage and maintain them, and persons in general. It established a system of public supervision through aids the creation of the Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive and bestows extensive enforcement powers, ultimately backed by criminal sanctions extending to unlimited fines and imprisonment for up to two years.

Before the Act building sites were a great place to play at weekends or in the evenings after the builders had gone home. There was a building boom in the 1960s and this presented all sorts of opportunities for mischievous packs of boys.  Especially good fun was climbing ladders that had been conveniently left up against walls and which gave access to the upper floors and the external scaffolding.

Before the Act and the threat of imprisonment if anyone was injured in these dangerous playgrounds builders were pretty careless about tidying up before they dashed off to the pub at the end of the day and there were piles of bricks to build camps out of (much better than Lego), sewer pipes to crawl through, sand and cement to kick around and oil drums and bits of timber to take away and use to build rafts to sail on the canal.  This never really worked either and once a passing police patrol car stopped and the officers watched us building a waterway craft with bits of stuff we had ‘borrowed’.  They teased us by asking to see our boat license and then as we dawdled about hoping they would just drive off told us to hurry up and get on because they wanted to see us fall off before getting on with their duties.  We clambered aboard and didn’t disappoint them.  I can still hear them laughing as I write this.

Probably the most dangerous place we found to play in was an underground network of sewer pipes (before they were in use obviously) with a square chamber somewhere within the labyrinth where we used to crawl to with candles and just sit down there for no apparent reason.  I dread to think now what would have happened if there had been a flash flood because we would have surely drowned.

Although I have to agree that it is most sensible, today the HSE provides spoil-sport guidance that warns children that ‘Building sites are not playgrounds’

“Long summer evenings are a time for fun and adventure, unfortunately, all too often it can also be a time of tragedy”, said Jim Skilling, Principal Inspector of Construction.  “Understandably some children are drawn to construction sites as exciting places to play, but they are not playgrounds and playing on them can have fatal consequences. Industry and parents need to work together to ensure children’s safety. He advises:

warn children against playing in dangerous areas, including building sites;

make sure you know where your children are going, and when they will be back;

encourage them to play only in safe areas such as playgrounds;

workers should watch out for children playing around sites, if you see children, stop work and make sure they are off site before you begin again;

lay heavy objects on the ground or fix them firmly upright so they cannot fall onto children and injure them;

secure sites adequately when finishing work for the day;

never allow children to ride in construction plant machinery.

Age of Innocence – Danger, Water, Roads and Building Sites

Talking of catching things, we used to go fishing down the canal and this wasn’t quite so dangerous except when my friend Colin Barratt (who was forbidden by his parents to go to the canal on account of not being able to swim) fell in while struggling to land a four-ounce Perch with a home made rod and line.  One minute he was standing on the towpath with his garden cane rod and bit of string and there was an almighty splash and Colin was thrashing about in the water struggling for his life.  Between us we dragged him out without having to jump in ourselves and took him home and didn’t see him again for about three months after that but to make him feel better we told him that it was a monster Pike that had pulled him in.

Water always had a special attraction and when we weren’t messing about on the canal there was always Sprick Brook where we used to fish for minnows and red-breasted Sticklebacks and take them home in jam-jars in the days before goldfish.  Sprick brook ran under the railway bridge on Hillmorton Lane and was just the sort of place where you could have an accident and no one would find you for days.

One place that wasn’t nearly so dangerous as it is today were the roads and we used to play on our bikes without any real sense of danger and certainly without those silly cycle helmets that kids wear today.  Cycling however did get me into trouble once when I was about ten and persuaded some friends to tackle a cycle ride one afternoon to Leicester to see my grandparents without checking with anyone first.  I have to confess that this was both ambitious and thoughtless especially on a Raleigh Junior bike with 18” wheels and no lights and not in any way suitable for a fifty mile round trip.  Getting there was reasonably straightforward but the return journey was a bit more difficult on account of it being dark and us being completely knackered.  There was a search party that night for sure and I can remember being astonished about how much fuss was made over such a trivial incident when Dad intercepted me at Abbots Farm and sent me home immediately for a good telling off from Mum which turned out instead to be an emotional and tearful reunion and I can remember being thoroughly confused by that.

Apart from the dangers presented by the transport system there were other equally hazardous places to play as well.  Building sites for example.  There was a building boom in the 1960s and this presented all sorts of opportunities.  Especially good fun was climbing ladders and playing on the scaffolding and hiding in part constructed rooms.  There were piles of bricks to build camps (much better than Lego), sewer pipes to crawl through, sand and cement to kick around and oil drums and bits of timber to take away and use to build rafts to sail on the canal but this never worked either.  Once a passing police patrol car stopped and the officers watched us building a waterway craft with bits of stuff we had ‘borrowed’.  They teased us by asking to see our boat license and then as we dawdled about hoping they would just drive off told us to hurry up and get on because they wanted to see us fall off before getting on with their duties.  We clambered aboard and didn’t disappoint them.  I can still hear them laughing as I write this.

Perhaps the dumbest and most dangerous thing we ever did on a building site was to go underground.  In preparation for new houses on Bridley Road there were some new storm drains installed so we lifted the manhole cover and went inside, crawled through the pipes and made a camp in an inspection chamber where we sat in candle light and thought that it was all great fun.  I dread to think now what might have happened if there had been a storm while we were down there.  I certainly wouldn’t be writing this retrospective journal.

Most of these dangerous places are closed off to children these days, the railway line is fenced, building sites are secure, the canal locks have wooden guardrails and you would have to be just plain daft to take a bike out on a main road.  Given the modern restrictions it’s hardly any wonder I suppose that today children have to stop at home and watch the television or play computer games and are denied the pleasure of real dangerous activity and that is a real shame.