Occupational Health and Safety

[A. G. Maisey]

Emailed to me today by a friend.

Interesting?

Put away your arms, drama group is told

By Richard Savill

A village amateur dramatic group performing Robinson Crusoe has had to tell police about the use of plastic swords because of health and safety fears.

The Carnon Downs Drama Group, at Perranwell, Cornwall, must lock up its two plastic cutlasses, six wooden swords and a toy gun when they are not in use and appoint a "responsible guardian" for them.

The group said it informed police about the use of replica weapons after studying new health and safety guidelines and new legislation to crack down on violent crime. Later this month, about 700 people are due to attend six performances of the group's pantomime, featuring several swashbuckling sword fights.

A co-director, Linda Barker, said: "In some scenes pirates hit each other with frying pans and saucepan lids but there's no problem with them.

"We have got several wooden and plastic swords, two plastic spears and a gun that cost £2 from a joke shop. But now we need to keep them locked away."

The National Operatic and Drama Association said it supported the new policy because "it enables weapons to be used safely and legally in theatrical performances".



source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...nswords118.xml

[Gavin Nugent]

I find it all very highly amusing these stories, I too have this email and I imagine from the same source in Sydney. I have received many similar stories via email from friends in Mother England over the last 2 years and there seems to be no end to it.
Where will it stop and where will the line be drawn here in Australia, it is already crazy enough! With regards to weapons laws, we here in Australia live in 7 different countries, not 7 states of the one counrty.
I would very much like to help with direction for a uniform weapons law here in OZ, but I have no idea where the best place to start would be. Dept of justice maybe?

Gav

[A. G. Maisey]

Department of Justice?

Within the Commonwealth system of government?

Possibly you mean the Attorney-General's Department, Gavin?

Some states have a Department of Justice, but on the commonwealth level the responsibilities for law and justice are handled by the Attorney-General's Department.

Perhaps you could explain to me why it would be so desirable for us to have uniform weapons legislation here in Australia. I'm probably little bit slow in my understanding of what the benefits of such legislation might be for collectors and students of weaponry, and for sporting shooters and other users of weapons.

What would be proposed as the normative model?

The moderate legislation of Tasmania, or the draconian laws of New South Wales and Victoria?

Could we expect to see the governments and bureaucracies of New South Wales and Victoria accept the more relaxed regulation of Tasmania ? Could we expect to see these two states relax their grip on the prohibitions that they have taken 50 or more years to gain?

I rather think not.

In the event of any uniformity of legislation occurring in Australia in respect of weapons legislation, what would happen would be the adoption by all states of a uniform draconian code which reflected the most stringent restrictions present in all individual states.

In my opinion uniform legislation is the last thing we want.

It would be far more sensible for interested parties to work on a state by state basis to try to bring some moderation and common sense to our weapons legislation. However, in the current political climate probably the best we can hope for is that we do not lose any of the "privileges" which we presently have.

Never forget:- the things that might be considered as "rights" in some other countries are written into law as PRIVILEGES in Australia.

Incidentally, Australia has six states, not seven. The Northern Territory is a territory, as the name suggests, and so is the Australian Capital Territory; there's another little territory too, that most people tend to overlook:- Jervis Bay Territory.

[Lew]

Come on plastic and wooden toy swords! What kind of heath risk are they talking about? Watch out you may give somebody a nasty splinter



Lew

[VANDOO]

CONTACT THE MINISTRY OF SILLY AND ABSURD LAWS AND REGULATIONS IN CARE OF MONTY PYTHON.
SURELY THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS AS WHO COULD IMAGINE A REAL ELECTED OFFICIAL OF DOING SOMETHING SO ABSURD.
NEXT THEY WILL REQUIRE ALL TOOLS, ROCKS AND STICKS TO BE LOCKED UP WHEN NOT IN USE. A NEW LAW THAT ALL CITIZENS MUST WEAR HANDCUFFS AND BOXING GLOVES, LEG IRONS , A PADDED HELMUT AND MUZZLE WHEN LEAVING THE HOUSE WOULD CUT DOWN ON PUNCHING, BUTTING, KICKING AND BITEING AS WELL AS THROWING AND MAKE IT MUCH MORE SAFE AND PEACFUL FOR THE CITIZENS. PERHAPS WEARING THIS APPAREL FROM BIRTH WOULD BE GOOD , AS IT WOULD PREVENT KIDS FROM THROWING THINGS OR FIGHTING AND ELIMINATE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE HOME AS WELL.

WHERE WILL IT STOP? IT WON'T STOP! THEY WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED THERE WAS A PUSH TO OUTLAW CAP PISTOLS, WATER PISTOLS,BB GUNS AND ALL OTHER GUN LIKE OBJECTS AS IT TEACHES THE YOUNG BOYS TO BE WARLIKE HERE IN THE USA. IN TODAYS WORLD AS IN THE PAST THE LAST THING WE NEED IS A NATION THAT CAN'T DEFEND ITS SELF AS IT WILL NOT LAST LONG. YOU DON'T SEE AS MANY TOYS THAT LOOK LIKE GUNS NOW, AS A RESULT OF THIS PUSH EVEN THOUGH NO LAWS WERE PASSED, TODAY MOST WATERGUNS ALL LOOK LIKE SOMETHING FROM BUCK RODGERS OR LIKE A BUNNY OR SOMETHING.

[Tim Simmons]

Castration and chipping, followed with radio tagging is the only answer
I do not know why I am laughing chipping is being used in places. It will gain general acceptance through "monkey see monkey do" copying the privileges of the pioneers when there acceptance profile is read at airports and so on. Leading to mass/compulsory chipping.

[A. G. Maisey]

Lew, we can look at this and we can see the humour in it. There is no doubt that it is funny.

However, we have not seen the relevant legislation. It is quite probable that there is a solid foundation for the action these thespians have taken.

The people who draft the laws for politicians to pass are very often 25 year old ladies with a degree in arts-law who are members of the local "Save the Trees" club. Their supervisors who approve the drafts are frequently tired old career public servants who just want to get the papers into the "outbox". Legislation that is considered as being non-volatile from a political point of view is very often passed without being read by any politician. They will give it to somebody on their staff to review and request a precis and a recommendation.

The legislation that seemingly caused this theatre group to lock up their plastic swords was legislation dealing with occupational health and safety. It was not weapons legislation. You can bet on it that from the perspective of a 25 year old female arts-law graduate that legislation makes a lot of sense. You can bet on it that whoever drafted the legislation can defend every clause in it. But that does not mean that it makes any sense.

Prior to the legislation being passed into law, it is probable that it was submitted to interested parties and members of the public for comment. It seems to me to be highly unlikely that anybody with an interest in and an understanding of the issues concerning weaponry would have seen that draft legislation. Insurance companies, unions, employers---these people would have seen it. The Antique Arms Collectors Society of Great Britain would probably not have been aware of the passage of this legislation.

Some years ago legislation was introduced in the state of New South Wales that was targetted at stopping the carriage by persons of offensive weapons, especially knives. The early drafts of this legislation would have made it impossible for a person under the age of 18 years to eat breakfast in a McDonalds restaurant unless accompanied by a responsible adult.

Why?

Because McDonalds would not have been permitted to give, and the person under 18 years of age would not have been permitted to be in possession of, the plastic knife used to eat that breakfast.

We did finish up with good, solid, workable legislation, but that was only because of the review of the drafts carried out by people other than those who drafted the legislation. People such as working police officers and interested members of the public.

The time to get involved with any undesirable legislation is during the period prior to it being passed into law. Once it becomes law you will not get it changed.

[A. G. Maisey]

Tim, more than 15 years ago I made a recommendation that certain officers of a semi-government body be micro-chipped for security reasons.

I made the recommendation as a black joke, because of certain other things that were happening in this organisation at the time.

The recommendation was taken seriously but was finally not implemented, principally because of health concerns.

I recently heard that some officers in some organisations in this country (Australia) are now micro-chipped. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this information, but the source was good.