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Doormats targeted in council's health and safety crackdown

3:52pm Monday 1st February 2010


DOORMATS have been outlawed by Thurrock Council as part of a health and safety crackdown.

Residents of council flats in South Ockendon were told they had seven days to remove the mats from outside their front door or they will be fined.

The council say this is because the mats present tripping hazards.

The residents say its health and safety gone mad.

One man who did not wish to be named said: “Is the council going to pick up the cleaning bill for my carpet now that I can’t wipe my feet anymore?

“Its crazy but really funny at the same time, its health and safety gone mad.”

He added: “A few of my neighbours have said they wont give up their doormat and they don’t care if they get fined.”

The council made the decision after carrying out one of its regular risk assessments.

It has cited the recent fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell in July 2009, where several people died, as an example of the importance of health and safety.

Council spokesman Andy Lever said: “South Ockendon Housing Office has sent letters to tenants advising them to keep the communal areas clear and to remove any items that belong to them including door mats.”

“The council has adopted a blanket policy to avoid any confusion.

If asked, tenants are being advised they can put the mats on the inside of their front doors, but they should ensure it is not a hazard. It will also consider any individual cases on their merits.”

He added: “At first, it might not be thought a door mat could be a risk, but in a fire, when the corridor may be dark and full of smoke and people are in a state of panic, it is possible someone could trip or slip on a mat and fall.

“People following might then fall over the first person. It has happened before in fires. Such risks have to be considered and appropriate action taken to reduce or remove such risks. Depending on the block and location of front doors, we may require the removal of door mats.”

What are your thoughts about this?

Have the council gone too far or is it better to be safe than sorry?

Add your comments below.


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Your Say YourThurrock

warren lakes, stanford le hope says...
6:47pm Mon 1 Feb 10

Dont do as we do, do as we say. Thats right vote the Tories back in May and reap what you deserve. There are alternatives out there, who'll get my vote is yet to be seen, but it wont Mr Vague and co.

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gonetothedogs, East Tilbury says...
9:07pm Mon 1 Feb 10

Very strange that Health & Safety want to remove mats from doorways & yet the Council will allow one of it's workers to park a large vehicle on an Emergency Access even though the owners have been told to move it by the fire brigade!
This is a Health & Safety Issue if ever there was one,and yet they choose to ignore the Danger Signs.
Seems to us that Council Staff have the right to shaft anyone who gets in their way or we will be Damned Forever.
Just hope that the Council will own up to their responsibilities before anything happens to the residents here and listen to the wishes of the neighbourhood.
Health & Safety...what a lovely term for basically telling us "We have no Intellegence to think for ourselves.
Come on Thurrock Borough Council,do the right thing and get your Priorities Right....!

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kbatts, Aveley says...
9:35pm Mon 1 Feb 10

warren lakes. that is a fantastic reply. absolutely spot on. This is great, whilst you lot out there are abusing the binmen then you get a story like this, i had to check the date maybe it was April !st not February 1st. I don't know about tripping over fireman in lobbies, they are trained to a very high standard, i am sure with all the dangers that they encounter floor mats are the least of there worries. I can just see the law courts jammed up with cases of mats abuse, it's laughable. as warren lakes has said, Vote for someone else and not the dozy lot we have now.

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Mattster, Grays says...
11:18pm Mon 1 Feb 10

You would think Thurrock Council would fix all the ropey pavements if they are actually concerned about people tripping over.

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kbatts, Aveley says...
11:27pm Mon 1 Feb 10

I make you 100% right mattster. After all it is Health & Safety. We have a caring council, unfortunately they seem only to care about themselves.

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Baphomet, Thurrock says...
7:52am Tue 2 Feb 10

Health & Safety in this country is probably worse than any other country due to the fat greedy lawers just waiting to pounce and start legal proceedings for any dimwit that happens to stub his/her big toe while going about their everyday routine. Its all about the money, they don't really care who has an accident they just want to be able to sue and make a tidy sum. What do you call a lawer at the bottom of the sea? A start.

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pa, Grays says...
8:28am Tue 2 Feb 10

I seem to recall the H&S laws going bonkers when a bunch of lawyers come cowboy government ministers took over the Labour party and got elected to govern this country. This isn't just a Thurrock thing, as everyone knows, and everyone knows where to lay the blame for mad H&S laws along with terrorism laws being used to fine people for putting rubbish in wrong bins, people fined for blowing their nose in their car, people fined for accidentally dropping a crisp. Well done messrs Blair, Brown and co.

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OckendonPaul, ockendon says...
9:10am Tue 2 Feb 10

The council health and safety remit seems to involve dreaming up bizzare scenarios and then interfering in peoples everyday lives to the most minute degree in order to pre-empt them.
It goes to show that the Tories in power havn't got any more common sense than Labour, despite what they'd tell you.

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Oldcow, Aveley says...
11:52am Tue 2 Feb 10

I tell you what!!how about if we all just stay in doors and never go outside that way we won't hurt ourselfs will we!!or will we!!

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karen29, Grays says...
12:58pm Tue 2 Feb 10

This isn't new. One by one all the councils in the country have fallen into line to adopt these bonkers health and safety rules. Can anybody show me a single case of someone tripping and suing their council or a fireman tripping on a doormat? There used to be something called common sense, but in a world of compensation claims it is easier to ban something than for people to use their common sense.

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pa, Grays says...
1:44pm Tue 2 Feb 10

We've seen this government ride roughshod over our civil liberties, personal freedoms, personal privacy and our democratic rights under one guise or another. Most of them are designed to relieve totally unsuspecting innocent people of their hard earned cash so the government can say they haven't put up taxes. This is just another witless, farcical scheme to raise cash from members of the public. Another shameless act passed by this government.

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Freddy K, Grays says...
2:10pm Tue 2 Feb 10

Somebody please tell me this is some sort of joke, what an absolutely pathetic waste of resources sending out letters to tennants about something so stupid.

This country is becoming so wrapped up in red tape from beurocrats that want to find more and more things to include in H&S and political correctness.

As has been said already if the council are that concerned about trip hazards they need to take a walk around the borough and check the pavements as some of these would come into the same catagory as being a trip hazzard.

Only a few weeks ago thee was an articl about a council in Essex who wanted the pot holes in the road to remain un-repaired as they felt this calmed the traffic, so what about the dangers that these hold to motorcyclists and cyclists, seems like what is good for the goose is not for the gander.....

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Ickymay7, Thurrock says...
10:16am Thu 4 Feb 10

As Ricky Tomlinson would say, Health & Safety my A**e, carpets to be removed from flat landings what next, toys? I really don’t know what we are paying some Thurrock Council officers or councillors for, I often wonder if some of Thurrock council employee’s or staff may be doing jobs and making important decisions on our behalf that they have not been properly trained for in getting Thurrock’s road safety and health and safety prioritises right, here is an example, there is a outstanding health & Safety problem in Corringham Library, the seat in the newly installed Disabled/Public toilet is broken and unstable and pivots around when used, it has been broken for a least three weeks and is a genuine health & Safety problem, if a disabled person was to fall there would be hopefully a claim and a lot of very red faces.

The assistant in the Library says it has been reported, in the mean time the note on the wall says lift the seat before use!

Also the width restriction in Bridge Road, Grays should be changed to a one-way system so that emergency services would be able to reach high rise flats quickly in an emergency! Is Thurrock council really working on our behalf, or are they looking and finding stupid costly problems, but clocking up their bonuses?

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