BBC Cost Cutting

Indeed, HSE implications mean that school janitors are not allowed to climb a ladder to refocus a theatrical lantern in the school auditorium.

This of course means contracting in companies like mine to do a day or half a day's work. Obviously we have to be paid for the work in the same way that LST have to be at the BBC.

Its cheaper to do this in the long run than it would be for companies to pay huge sums in compensation to workers who have been injured attempting to "do it themselves".

Yep - there is always a balance between the costs involved in training - and keeping training current - for in-house staff, and the costs of "buying in" suitably trained staff from outside. Which is cheaper is not always clear.

It is entirely possible that people "who are only trying to help" - by doing things they think they are capable of, but aren't trained to do - can end up causing all sorts of problems - both legal and financial.

In the case of a school caretaker getting involved in lighting modification there are a number of obvious issues :

1. If not trained to work at heights and safely use a ladder there are issues in the guy falling off and injuring himself and others - though I would hope a school caretaker would be suitably trained.

2. If the caretaker is not trained in the safety issues specific to lighting - correct use of safety bonds (and the annual checking thereof), electrical safety (and the regular checking thereof) etc. it is entirely possible he could install the lamp so that it could either fall on a member of the public audience, or fail and cause a fire or shock risk.

that would be against the Heath and safty regulations and would leave the BBC open to claims for accidents on burnt fingers, falls and eletric shocks.
Beleve it or not you are supposed to be trained on how to change a lightbulb due to the Health and Safety considerations.

EDIT: Beat me to it! - should read the complete thread before replying.