On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 10:11:01 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 3/6/04 9:19, in article , "Stan The Man"
wrote:

In article , Sacha
wrote:

On 2/6/04 23:55, in article , "Stan The Man"
wrote:

snip

In related areas, if someone is fixing my gas boiler, my teeth, my new
extension, my domestic wiring, my blood pressure, etc, I'm going to
find someone who, first and foremost, is properly qualified to do the
job. If they are also experienced, so much the better.

Simon

That is because all the things you cite above could involve you in danger.
I don't think there are many attacker foxgloves out there. ;-)

No foxglove attacks maybe, but there is plenty of danger elsewhere in
the garden. The DTI's data is never current but according to
http://www.dti.gov.uk/homesafetynetwork/gs_stats.htm there are over
450,000 accidents requiring hospital treatment every year in the
garden, including 46 fatalities. See also ROSPA's data at
http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/safety.htm#hass.

This may not be a huge number relatively but is large enough absolutely
to warrant broadcasters indemnifying themselves as much as possible by
employing qualified (and experienced) gardeners, imho. (It's also more
than the number of accidents involving gas boiler
servicing/installation, dental work, etc).

Simon
If you use those criteria, nobody should be allowed into their own garden
with an RHS diploma and given that most plants have at least some toxic
properties, we should all give up gardening completely.
And I really do fail to see that lack of an RHS diploma makes either the
individual or a broadcaster more inclined towards accidents in the garden.
In fact, Cheltenham seems to be ahead of you - I haven't read it yet but Ray
says he's seen something that indicates that the council has decided not to
do any public planting because their workers might hurt themselves using
gardening tools such as rakes, spades, trowels etc.

Judging by our local authority, the next step will be to get rid of
all workers and replace them with administrators.