I don’t make a habit of watching the soaps every night, a bit too depressing for me, but Emmerdale was on our telly the other night. I was reading the paper (honestly) but every so often I was having a peak over the top, curious to see if Amos and Mr Wilkes were still on the go.
Without thinking about it though, I happened to notice the first aid kit in the cafe! Now, my first thought was that I should maybe keep that bit of information to myself. Firstly I’m not sure that I should be watching rubbish like that. But more importantly, even though I work for a company that sells Fire Protection equipment, that really shouldn’t be a good enough excuse to be seen checking if fictional characters on make-believe programs are health and safety conscious.
What next: keeping an eye on the Rovers Return to make sure they have the correct Fire Extinguishers for a Pub? Or that Gary and Minty are taking all the necessary precautions to make The Arches a safe place to work?
I realise that makes it sound like I know too much about all the soaps, but there’s a certain amount of research that’s gone into this, take my word for it.
First things first, if I were running a cafe or kitchen in real life or on the TV, I’d make sure I had a First Aid Catering Kit hung on the wall and maybe even a Burns Kit. Plus, taking into account the common risks involved with running a kitchen a 6 litre wet chemical fire extinguisher would be a must. The Class F Wet Chemical is best used where there is a fire risk caused by cooking oil like in a deep fat fryer, and works by reacting with the oil to prevent re-ignition. Right, that’s Viv and Bob sorted out, let’s move on to Liz and Steve.
It’ll be worth having two different types of Fire Extinguisher in a pub, this will make sure all potential risks are covered. A 9 litre water extinguisher, or a 9 litre foam extinguisher would cope with hazards involving woods/papers or textiles. And then for the threat of electrical fires how about a 5kg Carbon Dioxide. Might also be worth making sure that each extinguisher has an ID sign to make it clear which type it is and which type of fire it’s suited to. How about the fire exit signs? Are the fire exits clearly marked? And what about the no smoking policies?
Moving on, Phil Mitchell doesn’t strike you as the most honest fella, but he has a responsibility to his work force and there are many potential health and safety misdemeanours in a garage or workshop environment.
Employees need to be aware of the best health and safety practices, so why not stick a laminated health and safety poster on the Wall of The Arches so they’re aware of the Health and Safety at Work Act. They’d also be well advised to have a first aid kit and some kind of eye wash product on site, as accidents can happen.
Oil, petrol and other spillages are inevitable in this type of workplace, so a spill control kit is a real no-brainer, even for a Mitchell! We have a vast range of these products, from General Purpose to Oil Only spill control kits, and if Phil logged onto our website and got his order in early enough, we could have it delivered to Walford before the next day’s show is broadcast.
I can’t do Hollyoaks or The Bill as I don’t watch them……or rather I don’t have time!!
But next time you’re watching mindless television, keep an eye out for the health and safety precautions and the fire protection equipment they use because it goes without saying that if fictional people in fictional places see fit to protect themselves then it’s an absolute given that you should protect yourself when the threats are real.
Neil
I noticed what type of first aid kit they’ve got in the cafe on Emmerdale…do you think I’m sad?
