Does the insurance company know that the warehouse is used for dossing in,do the fire brigade know when people are in overnight in case it goes up in flames and they think it is only a warehouse and there is no one to rescue,or they go in to rescue when no one is in there…2012 do me a favour.
fuse:
Does the insurance company know that the warehouse is used for dossing in,do the fire brigade know when people are in overnight in case it goes up in flames and they think it is only a warehouse and there is no one to rescue,or they go in to rescue when no one is in there…2012 do me a favour.
hiya,
Yes where are H&S when on the rare occasion you need them.
thanks harry long retired.
fuse:
Does the insurance company know that the warehouse is used for dossing in,do the fire brigade know when people are in overnight in case it goes up in flames and they think it is only a warehouse and there is no one to rescue,or they go in to rescue when no one is in there…2012 do me a favour.
Fair comments, however maybe it is all above board and the relevent arrangements have been put in place for dossing in, i.e risk assesments/smoke detectors/fire alarms and exit routes with emergency lighting etc etc etc, the problem we all have is there is not enough information from the OP to assume anything.
But as for the 2012 do me a favour comment doesnt make sense to me, the year we are in has no bearing on the situation because regardless of the year everything comes at a cost and considering the Billion pound defecit and the current recession I would say thats probably the root cause for people/organisations having to stoop to such ‘not ideal’ living arrangements and have to perhaps on occasions put up with adequit and reasonable arrangements.
That is assuming that all the necessesary safe and legal practices are being employed.
It is not only that they have to stoup to it is the cost of DCPC, sillyWTD, EURO 5 ,6 NEW TRUCKS,FLOURECENT TAPE,ECT ECT,and every new thing uncle tom cobbly and all tells us to fit ,but of corse the driver comes bottom of the list when it comes to make things better.
Hiya …I think next time you should phone for a taxi and go to the nearest hotel/ motel, book in and have a nice sleep and breakfast, get the taxi to take you back to the works…No problem or just go home in your car, There is no problem in my book the bit about stooping so low to sleep “what you call rough” I take it you never read any of the destination Doha books where drivers looked after themselves, looked after their trucks, fixed punchers and did rolling repairs they just got on with the job and life, so dont take it to heart and just as they say “go with the flow”, its a job and work, as the last resort you could always drive home for a night
John
markybhoy76:
Hi folks, I have a health and safety question regarding my employers policy of having drivers sleep overnight in a warehouse whilst their truck is serviced overnight. I believe this practice to be wrongful and demeaning and I was hoping others may be able to help me regarding this.
I am based at a depot that has no workshop facility and when my truck is due for service it is done overnight at our main yard. This means a night out and no truck to sleep in. Rather than put the driver up for the night in one of the many nearby hotels or b&b’s my company insist on their drivers having to sleep in one of two rooms that can be best described as like police cells within a warehouse. This warehouse has nobody on duty at night and can contain hazardous materials. There are smoke detectors but most of the doors within the building are locked. The warehouse does have vehicular traffic coming and going throughout the night as well as drivers coming in and out to use the washroom and canteen which are right beside these cells. This makes getting a proper rest almost impossible.
I refused to sleep in one of these rooms last week and was brought before one of the directors. I was told that i would sleep where ever they deemed appropriate and at the end of the arguement that followed i was given a verbal warning for my attitute! I must also note that the director when asked if he would be prepared to sleep in these rooms stated that he wouldn’t and he then went on to tell me that this was because he isn’t a driver.
I have two main questions regarding this. Firstly is it indeed legal to have staff sleep in commercial premises? And secondly would you do it legal or not? Ironically when given my verbal warning I was told that my behaviour was not what he expected from a ‘professional driver’. Seems that professional standards only apply when it suits as asking drivers to sleep in a warehouse doesn’t tally with my expectations as a professional.What say you folks?
TOTALLY ILLEGAL UNDER HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES GIVE ME THERE NAME AND ADDRESS AND ILL HAVE THEM IN COURT WITH A VERY LARGE 5 FIGURE FINE
Big Ben:
TOTALLY ILLEGAL UNDER HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES GIVE ME THERE NAME AND ADDRESS AND ILL HAVE THEM IN COURT WITH A VERY LARGE 5 FIGURE FINE
Is this advice as reliable as the advice you gave under the beacons thread? 
Big Ben:
]
TOTALLY ILLEGAL UNDER HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES GIVE ME THERE NAME AND ADDRESS AND ILL HAVE THEM IN COURT WITH A VERY LARGE 5 FIGURE FINE
Are you… sorry, ARE YOU A BARRISTER LIKE?
markybhoy76:
Firstly is it indeed legal to have staff sleep in commercial premises? And secondly would you do it legal or not??
It’s not illegal to kip in commercial premises, providing the insurance cover is all above board.
We have a sofabed in our waiting room, where lads will kip if they’re tired. The insurance know about this and it’s not a problem.
Fire stations, hospitals, ambulance stations all have ‘quiet rooms’, dedicated areas lads can get some kip if they need it.
That said, your employer has a duty of care to ensure you’re properly rested. Should you have an accident, and it’s deemed you’ve not had sufficient rest (by that mean proper rest, not 11/9 hours as prescribed), your employer would find themselves in the deep end too.
Would I kip in the room you’ve described? Dunno, I haven’t seen it.
Is there no chance your boss could get u a big cardboard box to sleep in, or may be under a pile of leaves would be nice.
When he said no because i am not a driver i would have nutted him and walked.Why would you want to stay and work for a ■■■■■■ like that? Rather than listening to others on here ring citizens advice!
My two bobs worth is this …To the OP
If the truck is serviced on a regular basis and you know that the sleeping in the warehouse is an issue for you,make your own arrangements prior to the date of service. I think you said you usually slept elsewhere via a train journey , but on this occasion left your wallet at home so therefore your gaffa can hardly be blamed for that.
If the warehouse has a rest room / canteen and somehwere I could scrub up wash mi teeth etc etc etc then happy days no problem,its not like your doing it 5 nights a week mate .
On the issue of rest undisturbed or otherwise,well to be frank the posty,the neighbour cutting the grass etc etc etc all disturb me at sometime or other when on nights,but hey thats life 
.
I sense the problem maybe the fact that you have a prob with the director,and to be fair If he treats drivers badly then chances are he will still be a prick regardless of the warehouse sleeping issue,or it maybe that he is just trying to keep his business afloat in these hard times only you can make that call.
I have done exactly what you have posted i.e. slept on the premises when on containers for a small family firm as did other drivers from time to time,BUT the guy we worked for was an absolute cracking boss,(ex driver) and we ALL worked together to keep the business going and ourselves in work.
Its your call mate but I have found over the years JAW JAW is better than WAR WAR and before quoting the H&S etc etc at the gaffa perhaps a more diplomatic approach 
would have been a good idea.
Keep it Real
Big Ben:
markybhoy76:
Hi folks, I have a health and safety question regarding my employers policy of having drivers sleep overnight in a warehouse whilst their truck is serviced overnight. I believe this practice to be wrongful and demeaning and I was hoping others may be able to help me regarding this.
I am based at a depot that has no workshop facility and when my truck is due for service it is done overnight at our main yard. This means a night out and no truck to sleep in. Rather than put the driver up for the night in one of the many nearby hotels or b&b’s my company insist on their drivers having to sleep in one of two rooms that can be best described as like police cells within a warehouse. This warehouse has nobody on duty at night and can contain hazardous materials. There are smoke detectors but most of the doors within the building are locked. The warehouse does have vehicular traffic coming and going throughout the night as well as drivers coming in and out to use the washroom and canteen which are right beside these cells. This makes getting a proper rest almost impossible.
I refused to sleep in one of these rooms last week and was brought before one of the directors. I was told that i would sleep where ever they deemed appropriate and at the end of the arguement that followed i was given a verbal warning for my attitute! I must also note that the director when asked if he would be prepared to sleep in these rooms stated that he wouldn’t and he then went on to tell me that this was because he isn’t a driver.
I have two main questions regarding this. Firstly is it indeed legal to have staff sleep in commercial premises? And secondly would you do it legal or not? Ironically when given my verbal warning I was told that my behaviour was not what he expected from a ‘professional driver’. Seems that professional standards only apply when it suits as asking drivers to sleep in a warehouse doesn’t tally with my expectations as a professional.What say you folks?
TOTALLY ILLEGAL UNDER HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES GIVE ME THERE NAME AND ADDRESS AND ILL HAVE THEM IN COURT WITH A VERY LARGE 5 FIGURE FINE
You’re a bit of a trumpet eh?
I think the problem you have with sleeping in a room in a warehouse is nothing compared to the problems you are now going to have with the director!
Stan