I'm a machine driver, tracking a machine around the fields and bogs is what I do, the experience I have from operating plant in every environment from peat bogs to building sites with inches of clearance around scaffolding, buildings and men on the ground, and this experience is invaluable as we are performing risk assessments every day, when we lift, tow, sling & strop materials and equipment, I'm talking about the difference between everyone going home safe and all limbs attached or not going home at all, a mere slip, a jerk of the levers, wrong straps used, unsuitable towing/lifting points being used, defective equipment whether it be shackles, chains, strops or ropes, we've learned how to make safe judgements from years of experience.
I am not saying I've never made a bad call, I have, I have also been to the inquests of guys who died on site, these were guys who went to work to do their jobs and never went home. Sadly it was the lessons learned through someone else's mistakes that makes you think twice about what you are doing, not everyone has had such harsh reality checks and fail to see the danger until it's too late.
It probably seems a little morbid to speak of tragedy when nothing much apart from getting a little stuck happened, but that was exactly the same thing that happened a few years back, a Nissan Patrol got stuck, the two guys linked their two tow ropes together with a shackle, completely ignored my warnings and then got the fright of their lives when the eyelet gave out and that innocent shackle became a lethal projectile that wiped out the back window, rear right light cluster and embedded itself through one skin of the steel tailgate, it could easily have killed someone!!!
The question is this, who is ultimately responsible? And who is taking the blame if something goes wrong? We've (most of us living in the 21st century anyways) all got smart phones and I for one am not shy about videoing people in order to preserve my own posterior(you learn fast when your foreman is a prjck who tells lies and gets you in trouble to save their own a$$) and if one day I get the call to help someone in need I will video the scene and their confirmation to take ultimate responsibility for the undertaking of vehicle recovery and their waiver to any damages as a result of the recovery.
This episode in Wales has been an eye opener for some and an "I told you so" moment for others, I don't think we should stop helping folk out, but I do think we should all be aware of our limitations, whether it be our physical fitness, vehicle preparation or the recovery kit we carry, maybe it will encourage more people to go on a winching course, to invest in better recovery points on their vehicles? I don't know, but we all need to be thankful for the people who are prepared to sacrifice their own time and resources to help others.
That is a great post, and more or less reflects my own feelings about the matter.
Over 30 years working on the farms, with heavy machinery on bad ground, large unpredictable animals, chainsaws, falling trees, sometimes with tired and cold staff, you do get very cautious.
Like you, mostly things have gone OK, we have learned safe ways to do things from experience. But occasionally we have had near misses, like when an animal has bolted, or a bumper has detached during a snatch recovery, or a tyre has gone down at the wrong moment on a steep slope with a heavy load.
Fortunately, the worst has never happened on my watch. But I too have attended the funerals of those who were not so lucky.
And the conclusions I have drawn are the same as yours. Try and assess every possible risk, even if it is just in your head, not in a formal way.
Try and prepare for any eventuality. Buy the best equipment, maintain it, and learn how to use it safely. Buy, and use, the protective gear, even when you don't think it will be needed.
Be realistic about your own capabilities and experience. There is never any shame in calling for help, most farmers will ring a neighbour first off in a bad situation. Two heads are better than one, and three are better than two in most situations.
Be realistic about the capabilities of staff and helpers as well. Someone who has seen a situation before will always be more capable and relaxed dealing with the situation than someone who hasn't.
And try and ask, and answer honestly, if you need to be in the situation, and taking the risk, at all. Or would it be better left for another day, or even not done at all.
If the OP in the Welsh situation had done these things, and answered honestly those questions, this situation would never have arisen in the first place.
It is good to challenge yourself to go a little outside your comfort zone. It is not good to take stupid risks, and endanger yourself, and possibly others.
