[PennyS]

It looks like a rotavator for common use might be a minefield of red tape and elf and safety.

But it's possible that our allotments will get some sponsorship from a local company soon. 

We're brand new allotments.  I'd really welcome advice from anyone who has got shared equipment as to what would be most practical and/or useful to have.  Itr would be a shame not to take advantage of possible sponsorship.
Many thanks!
Penny

[Aunt Sally]

You could possibly use the money to set up a site shed which could sell cheap gardening supplies.

[PennyS]

You could possibly use the money to set up a site shed which could sell cheap gardening supplies.

That sounds good.  We'd need secure storage for anything communal anyway (at the moment we haven't got anythign like that).
Thank you!
Penny

[Trillium]

I could see the big rotovators being a minefield of problems but how about something smaller like the Merry tillers? They're not large or as powerful but can still do a nice turning job.

[PennyS]

Thank you Trillium, I'll look in to that.  Does anyone else use these communally?
Penny

[R Tallentire]

As the “Merry Tiller man” I have been a bit reluctant to jump in here but as I don’t sell new ones I can’t be accused of touting for trade. A Merry Tiller Super Major or Super Major Pro would be ideal for the type of ground that you describe. Many UK made Majors from the 1960s are still going, with minimal maintenance costs. New US made Super Majors are based on the same design and are available from Mighty Mac dealers. However they are not small, apart from the Mantis-like toy they sell in the US, all Merry Tillers have been quite big and heavy. I am sure that safety rules would not be impossible to overcome as hire companies face the same risk of litigation and presumably insure against it.

[Trillium]

That's interesting as last night I watched a Canadian gardening show and they had a new Merry Tiller there - and was it big! Not at all the ones I've seen our site owner John using, nor Paul on the allotment channel. they're the nice smaller ones that someone's granny could easily handle.

[PennyS]

Thank you for all the information.
I think we're finding the rotavator issue a bit risky, much as it would be really helpful, the health and safety implications might just be too much.
I'll let you know what we end up with!
Thanks again, Penny

[Runwell-Steve]

Penny

We looked at communal ownership and not just the elf'n'safety side but the logistics of who pays when it breaks down, who is responsible for maintenance etc.. and it all seemed a bit complex.

The result is I bought myself a nice recon Honda FG201, which I can lend to people on the plot.  When it comes harvest time then hopefully I can reap some rewards.

[PennyS]

I agree, on all counts communal machinery just looks to be a lot of hassle. 

I might look out for a lighter weight tiller (my soil is nice loam) to use in subsequent years once I've done the initial hard digging work and got rid of all the couch grass!
Many thanks, Penny

[Kristen]

Is it just me that thinks this is Plain Stupid?

I start from the premise that a Rotavator is the most useful piece of communal machinery that could be owned. Lots of plot holders would get benefit from using it, and not having to Buy/Hire their own.

So WHY should it be such a minefield of "Elf and Safety"?

The hire companies manage to do business, and I would have thought for a small organisation it was acceptable to have a "sign your life away" form that was binding ... but even if not, can't we just have a call-to-arms for a posse to deal with the ambulance-chasing-lawyers?

Is there still time to start a political party before the election?

Dejected-of-Suffolk

[Kristen]

I might look out for a lighter weight tiller ... to use in subsequent years

I would recommend a Mantis tiller.

Its probably only good for tilling previously-cultivated soil (although I have put it to work on some beds this spring that have been ignored for a while and, although not "virgin ground", are quite compacted).

Its a joy to have a device in the shed that you can use when the ground is just-right; in the olden days when I used to hire a Rotavator it always rained on the hire-day ... by beds are now nice-and-fluffy because they were rotavated at just the right time

[Yorkie]

Is it just me that thinks this is Plain Stupid?

I start from the premise that a Rotavator is the most useful piece of communal machinery that could be owned. Lots of plot holders would get benefit from using it, and not having to Buy/Hire their own.

So WHY should it be such a minefield of "Elf and Safety"?

The hire companies manage to do business, and I would have thought for a small organisation it was acceptable to have a "sign your life away" form that was binding ... but even if not, can't we just have a call-to-arms for a posse to deal with the ambulance-chasing-lawyers?

A "sign-your-life-away" contract is completely unenforceable under the Unfair Contract Terms Provisions which have been in place for decades.

Have you any idea how much it would cost to legally defend a High Court action for personal injury when someone causes themselves an injury using your rotavator?  And that's irrespective of whether you win or lose.  Consider how much an insurance policy for that would be ... always assuming you could get one.

And that's before the award of damages (£000's) if you lose.

And if something really went wrong, it's a police investigation for manslaughter through gross negligence if the rotavator was negligently serviced, or you failed to ensure your users had sufficient training / properly serviced and checked safety equipment.

None of this is new elf n safety.  It's been the legal position for years but we live in such a litigious society these days that all of these outcomes are increasingly likely in today's society even in a minor mishap.

[Kristen]

Indeed Yorkie, I' comfortable with the need for such legislation.

But my post was intended, in part, to be serious: if an Allotment Group can't own a communal  rotavator, for fear that someone will sue them, where will it end? Rotavators are legal to buy, hire shops don't have a problem hiring them out (I appreciate that they probably have more funds to devote to getting a proper legal contract drawn up etc. than a 'Lotty group) ... so why can't the law accommodate an Allotment Group having one available for share?

People have to take responsibility for their actions, not rely on the State to act as Nanny for them.

[Yorkie]

Looking at it from the other direction for the sake of it, though, why should one section of the population end up without the protection of the civil and criminal law,just because they used a particular person / set-up?  Why should they be more vulnerable just because the set-up either did not bother or, more likely, could not afford to provide them with the protection the law entitles them to?

The law doesn't distinguish between individuals and entities when assessing liability.  Just look at the Lyme Bay canoe tragedy when a person died as a result of the negligence of the outdoor activity company.  There were convictions for individual and corporate manslaughter.