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Danger at work

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kristinemholth

I work in a shop that requires my colleagues and I to use two different ladders many times per day. One is taller than the other, both are too shaky to be suitable for the how we use them in relation to how far up we must climb, the things we have to bring down, the dangerous glass shelves in the surroundings, and the fact that customers are sometimes in the shop while they are being used. Well really they are too shaky to be used at all. The ladders are probably around 8 years old, and were once suitable for occasional domestic use, such as changing lightbulbs a few times a year, rather than being closed and shut and climbed 20-60 times a day every day. One of them closes off centre, like a scissor rather than a clamp so to speak. The feet are worn, the plastic corners that once encrusted the metal edges have snapped off in a lot of places, which my boss thought he would fix by covering them with white silicone mass, which is...well...really ugly on top of everything. I have informed and nagged my boss and am still stuck having to climb scary ladders every day. He doesn't care. I have called social security and can't speak to anyone it seems, so i was wondering if anyone knows of anything I can do. The ideal thing would be to be able to call for some kind of inspection to make sure my boss will be obligated to provide new ladders of higher quality without me having to just refuse to "do my job" and not climb the ladders but do it all the legal way. Any advice? I don't know how much help I will get if I book an appointment at social security and I don't want to waste their time in case they do nothing. Dude makes 2000-7000 euros a day, but is stretching out the lives of 50 and 80 euro ladders, when we should have 180 euro work quality ladders. I'm tired of watching my colleagues almost fall and risking my own safety several times a day.

Culebronchris

When I worked in a shop for a while some people used to come around and check that my work situation was as it should be. When I worked teaching English to the management of a shopping centre for a while one of them was telling me about the safety rules that they had to adhere to. So there is a specific organisation that checks on health and safety at work.

I had a quick google and I think it may be La Comisión Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo. Obviously that's the national setup and you'll need to look for the organisation for your autonomous community.

I may well be wrong. As I said it was a quick search.

Ron Shirt

I just Googled 'Health and Safety Executive in Spain' and this is the result:

https://osha.europa.eu/en/about-eu-osha … ints/spain

I hope this helps

Ron

nowretired

When working with ladders, going up and down several times a day, everyone will be fine..until the day someone gets badly hurt and has to pay with injury, loss of health for life or worse. Combined with customers in the store while you are perched on a ladder trying to move stuff around glass shelves, Kristine, it is not about IF, but WHEN it will happen. It happens too many times every day all around the world in every setting from cleaning out leaves from your roof eavestroughs to industrial accidents. This is not a job, it is a trap. Forget about trying to make your boss or others see the need for safety. You will get nothing more than lip service. What to do? Kristine, please GET OUT!!

claxnes

Where are you located? My wife is a funcionario in Alicante and could help locally. You may be located where. Local expat can help.

LegalEagle

Are you a member of a trade union? My brother is a window cleaner and a member of the window cleaners union. Every year his ladders must be inspected by a health and safety officer and a certificate issued.

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