hooverboy
On Moderation
- Joined
- 12 Oct 2017
- Messages
- 1,372
I agree.Firstly, I sympathise with the situation you find yourself in!
I would suggest that unless you have received formal training in manual handling by your employer you should not be carrying out manual handling tasks.
Also there are certain requirements for carrying items around the railway which you should be briefed on as well (I'm not sure if you're north or south of the Thames, but if you're in OLE land long items need to be carried horizontally for instance).
It sounds as if GTR have given you a very poor briefing on your roles and responsibilities but based on what I see other "customer services" type people doing around the UK I wouldn't expect your role to extend to more than giving passengers basic guidance on what trains are going where and which platform they are going from, and providing a "presence" on the platform.
There are some that will undoubtedly say that this is being snowflakey etc. but you need to look after your own health and wellbeing and cover your own back - for instance you could also be opening yourself up to allegations of theft or damage from unscrupulous people especially if you are on your own.
There's nothing unreasonable about asking for a written job description and appropriate training for your role.
yes,health and safety is very finicky as a group, but there will be lots of loopholes here with regards to training,especially if you are agency work.
irrespective of who has hired you,the employer has a duty to ensure your wellbeing when performing duties, so appropriate training for the job should be on record.
stuff like pre-existing medical conditions which may affect your ability to carry out certain tasks should also be taken into account.
you say you are also over retirement age, then your employer should most certainly be making sure that you are not subjected to onerous or seriously demanding labour.
if you've said "look, sorry my dear, this is too much for me", then if it comes to a chat with the line manager then just be honest and say so.
They wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it came to dismissal/tribunal.A good manager would take note of your physical condition and may redeploy you to a less customer facing role instead.(frankly that doesn't require a written job description, just a bit of common sense)
..the woman in question might get a letter from the company saying,
"Dear Ms/Mrs x,We have noted your complaint,but mr abc has some medical ailments that we have been aware of. The health and safety of our employees is paramount, and in this instance we fully support his decision to decline further assistance to you.
We aplologise for any inconvenience caused..blah.blah...blah..
Last edited: