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Search forDerbyshire County Council gaffe 'a waste of taxpayers' cash'
Tuesday, December 02, 2008, 07:30
Derbyshire County Council's Insight newspaper features an article about its Trusted Trader scheme, which lists plumbers, electricians and builders who have been checked by the authority's trading standards bosses.
But the builder on the front is neglecting a string of health and safety checks as he poses on scaffolding without gloves or high-visibility clothing and a hard hat that does not fit.
The gaffe has stunned construction industry expert Barry Ashmore, who has spent 18 years representing specialist sub-contractors for his business, Ashmore Consulting, after two decades working as one himself.
The 54-year-old, of Heanor, said the council could have run a "spot the hazards" competition with the amount of safety breaches.
He said: "It's a completely diabolical set-up in that photograph. It's a disgrace.
"Those of us who work in the industry and genuinely care about quality, standards and health and safety are horrified that the local authority should portray such an image.
"The write-up says 'our experts have checked out each and every Derbyshire trusted trader before they can sign up'. I wonder which one of their experts checked out the man in the picture?"
Blunders in the photograph also include the wrong types of ladder and spanner being used and an old pair of decorator's steps which Mr Ashmore said should not be used on scaffolding.
He also raised concerns about the damage at the top of the ladder, which could snag clothing, and the frayed rope used to secure it to the scaffolding.
The ladder is also on top of the handrail, not the platform, meaning the man in the photograph would have to climb over the rail.
Mr Ashmore said: "I know my clients would be horrified if they saw any of their workforce performing like this.
"I'd like an explanation, or at the very least an apology, to those of us who work in the construction industry and take health and safety seriously."
A spokeswoman for Derbyshire County Council said the picture was posed.
"It was a posed photograph. We should have taken more care to get it right but it was not a commercial project he was pictured with," she said.
"We will do better in the future and we will not be using this photograph again.
"At the end of the day the Trusted Trader scheme is a resounding success with both the traders and the potential purchasers of their services."
The Trusted Trader scheme was set up to make it easier for people to find businesses they can trust.
Everyone on the register has been checked by the county council's trading standards service and members have to commit to a code of practice requiring a high standard of customer care.
mistakes galore: The offending page
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