Janet Kaiser on mon 8 apr 02
When we were restoring the leaded glass in The CoA back in 1995, we
found that the last producer of lead had gone out of business. New
health and safety rules meant they could produce lead, but not expose
their workers to it. The obvious result was they had to close down.
Goodness knows where it comes from these days, but it is still
available. The lead soldering coils are also readily available... Made
in the Czech Republic until such time as the join the European Union,
when production will probably be closed down there too.
Back in the 1980s oil-based printer's inks were banned from use in
institutions and firms in the UK. Or rather the solvents for cleaning
up were banned, unless they were used in combination with expensive,
state-of-the-art ventilation. The result has been colleges and art
schools no longer use them, but the ersatz water-based colours are not
a patch on those old 'uns. Artists working for themselves are free to
do what they want and all the inks, solvents, etc. in the world are
available to them, with or without ventilation. But they may not
employ anyone, otherwise the same rules apply.
At the Ruthin Craft Centre in North Wales, there was a unit with what
I would politely call "folk art" pot painters at work... Highly
colourful cheap and cheerful mould-made pots, but I could not spend
more than 5 minutes in that place. The stench was appalling and gave
me an instant headache which went on for a full 24 hours! Judging from
the ware on display, they were using on-glaze colours and enamels.
Hate to think what the workers were being exposed to, but no sign of
any ventilation at all.
One of our makers works in slate. There are mountains of it in North
Wales... It has a pretty turbulent history over the years, but when
MacAlpine's bought all the available mines and quarries they suddenly
had the Health & Safety executive take intense interest in their
working methods. The result has been to close the lot at the loss of
precious jobs... "Too dangerous" although no one has been killed or
injured in recent years and they were the working practices and
methods used over the past 100-200 years.
So no matter what area one works in today, as soon as health and
safety enters, there seems to be one rule for employers/employees and
another which allows you the personal freedom to do pretty much as you
want. Of course it is difficult to sue oneself...
I would therefore not blame the government for trying to protect
workers' health, but wish there was some sort of consistency and a
little more common sense in the implementation of standards, rules and
regulations.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art / Capel Celfyddyd
Home of The International Potters' Path
8 Marine Crescent : Criccieth : GB-Wales
URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
postbox@the-coa.org.uk
> ( Anal government lead rules and regulations are making it more
difficult
> for stained glass makers. Sure isn't much food contact there ! )
Steve Mills on mon 8 apr 02
In message , Janet Kaiser
writes
>So no matter what area one works in today, as soon as health and
>safety enters, there seems to be one rule for employers/employees and
>another which allows you the personal freedom to do pretty much as you
>want. Of course it is difficult to sue oneself...
>
>I would therefore not blame the government for trying to protect
>workers' health, but wish there was some sort of consistency and a
>little more common sense in the implementation of standards, rules and
>regulations.
One difficulty is the purity of materials. For example in ceramics most
oxides are of comparatively low purity, but from the point of view of
Health and Safety it has to be assumed that they are 99 percent pure, as
the rules applied to them have to cover the same substances in a very
wide variety of uses.
It's like the Law in this country on *Taking and driving away* a
vehicle; it doesn't matter whether the vehicle concerned is moved 1 inch
or 100 miles, if you are in it and you move it and it's not yours to
move, you're guilty, there's NO leeway, end of story!
Steve
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
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