[skyblue80]

Does anyone else have a shared rotavator on their allotments? We have one but the new committee won't let anyone use it and they are worried about their legal position if there are any accidents. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you have a solution? The rotavator was originally bought a few years ago with money from everyones subscriptions.

[Aunt Sally]

The Committee would need to have Public Liability Insurance and be able to show that the rotavator is reguarly serviced and in safe working order each time it was borrowed.

A mine field !  -  the law not the allotments 

[Gwiz]

you could try having to sign a disclosure to say that you have read and understood the operators manual before being able to use it.

You should read it anyway, for you own safetys sake........

[pairofacres]

Surely the allotment society ought to have PL insurance anyway? I know ours does, as they make a point of telling us. They also recommend plot holders obtain cover, which you can do for the vast sum of £2 

[BostonInbred]

Yes, Elf'n'Safety would have a field day, followed by the ambulance chasers if you managed to hurt yourself, even if it was via your own stupidity.

30 years ago, in the sensible old days, possibly, but no chance these days.

[plot6b]

On our site we have one your can hire for £10.00 a day Elf and safety hasn't raised it head though .............Yet!!!!!!!

[sam on lewis]

I have a sort of solution to this, I live in the middle of nowhere, in a small community, rather than lend the machine I charge a small amount to take my rotivator to a plot and dig it over, just covers my fuel and a little towards wear and tear.

don't the elf's get to you though !

[pennsylvania planters]

Surely the allotment society ought to have PL insurance anyway? I know ours does, as they make a point of telling us. They also recommend plot holders obtain cover, which you can do for the vast sum of £2 

Do you mind me asking who you are insured with.
Thanks,
John.

[pairofacres]

No problem, just mentioned it on another thread - South West Counties Allotments Association. We're in the South East, so presumably they're not concerned about the geography of their members!

[Salmo]

you could try having to sign a disclosure to say that you have read and understood the operators manual before being able to use it.

You should read it anyway, for you own safetys sake........

In addition the committee should have proof that they have given adequate training in the operation of the machine, this would include what personal safety equipment must be used as well as how to work the machine.  A record of what training is given and when should be kept.

If the user then chooses to ignore the training e.g.not to wear safety equipment  or attempts to unblock the tines while the machine is running, then the committee is in a better position if a claim is made.

I know that this is a bit H&S jargon but a good phrase is 'Duty of care'. Duty of care of the committee for its members, duty of care of the members for each other and, most important, the members duty of care for themselves.

To illustrate this last point, if training says always wear goggles but there are no safety goggles supplied, then it is the users responsibility not to use the machine.

[Rangerkris]

After chasing a rotavator around the field today. I can see what sort of trouble you could get in. I am pretty machine aware but this little baby gave me a run for my money hahahahah.
Not sure if it was the ground being so compact or something we was doing wrong but boy it was hard work.  I am off to find a manual for it now so i'm set for tomorrow as we have loads of hedging to go in and its late in the season.

We did have a laugh at explaining away what damage it could have done at the plot. 

[Slowgrind]

I can see some people having a go at anything if it's for free.
I've seen people get hit on the head by sticking shovels into the drum on a mixer. Discs bursting on concrete saws when not being used in a proper manner. People setting clothes alight with angle grinders!
I'd hate to think what could happen if a rotavator got out of hand!
I'm sure that someone would be willing to be trained to operate potentially dangerous equipment for an allotment community. Perhaps better still all chip in and get a professional to do it once or twice a year?

[plot6b]

I can see some people having a go at anything if it's for free.
I've seen people get hit on the head by sticking shovels into the drum on a mixer. Discs bursting on concrete saws when not being used in a proper manner. People setting clothes alight with angle grinders!
I'd hate to think what could happen if a rotavator got out of hand!
I'm sure that someone would be willing to be trained to operate potentially dangerous equipment for an allotment community. Perhaps better still all chip in and get a professional to do it once or twice a year?

Or carn't we do it the old way and dig ,dig dig................................................

[Aunt Sally]

Digging is good for the soul - a working meditation.

That's what I tell my osteopath 

[Dominic]

On our site we have one your can hire for £10.00 a day Elf and safety hasn't raised it head though .............Yet!!!!!!!

Its unlikely to be something the HSE would bother with proactivly, when someone slips and the machine takes a foot off, then the judge at court would be very interested in seeing the training and maintenance records the people legaly responsible for the machine kept.
And if you didnt have said records, then you'd be in trouble