Much of what you say is true, or can be true. That insurance costs are the
problem is clearly not true.
The problem is that arbs aren't businessmen. Insertions follow.
----- Original Message -----
From: TreeSpecialists@xxxx.com
To: UK Tree Care
Sent: Sunday, September 03, 2006 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: one-off insurance?
It is unfortunately more serious than this.
Insurance makes one-off jobs impossible but also makes part time working
uneconomic.
Climbing, or even just felling every day is back-breaking work. Not good
for
the musculoskeletal body.
SC: Can be. I was taught to climb by men who were in their '50s, still
climbing everyday. HAd been climbing since they were 18 - with odd bits out
fro the depression and the war. Yes it was and is hard work. But if it is
back-breaking, body-breaking it's from not working smart. (Acccidents of
course are another issue, a real issue.)
I looked into combining it with a more gentle
occupation, doing several days of each every week. After all athletes recon
on 48
hrs to for the body to recover after an event and to prevent injury. But
part time working was uneconomic - because of the insurance costs.
SC. What is uneconomic is not working smart. Pricing jobs too thin so they
require body-breaking work. I am not saying thjis is easy work. I climbed
everyday for years, so I'm not making this up. Any business should be
charging enough to cover it's costs, whatever they are and make a profit.
And cover proper equipments including safety and protective equipment.
So we have a workforce who have little option but to work 5-6 days a week
in
a physically very demanding job where one slip, or loss of concentration
can
be fatal. This is not very sensible.
SC. And that's why we have insurance, becuase of the risk. And the risks
are real. How many trades have the option of woring 3-4 days and then taking
a break? The point is they should be 5-6 safe, well paid days.
In addition; does staying up late every night to do our PUWER, LOLER, risk
assessments, method statements, and tax accounts will make the job safer?
Perhaps lack of sleep combined with physical exhaustion can help our
concentration in a dangerous job?
SC. And a business should be set up to be profitable in a normal work week.
All that admin time and training time are not free to the business owner and
should not be free to the consumer. It's called overhead and it too should
be built in. So if you work nights doing it it should be extra income, ir
what you'd be paying an admin person.
SC. And risk assessments? Are those billable consultaions? So do those on
the day off you want from climbing.
SC. I have been a small business owner and I know all about the challenges
in making this happen. And in start up years you will be working 80 hour
weeks, burning the candle at both ends. But to get it to chnage you have to
start to think like a business person and plan to run a real business not a
bodybreaking indenture to yourself.
SC. SOmetimes the hardest decison is to not be self-employed, but to be a
well paid employee. Think about it. Instead of all that capital tied up in
trucks and chippers and saws, all wanting maintenance and replacemnt, put the
money in the bank. Work for a bigger business. MAybe you'd do just as well.
SC: The "you" here is of course the generic arb, whomever is reading the
list.
SC: The bottom line is that insurance costs are what they are they are not
the culprit indenturing te arb.
SC
Andrew
In a message dated 02/09/2006 08:34:33 GMT Daylight Time,
rej.davidson@xxxxxxx.net writes:
A supporter...........! There is a god.
So do insurers listen to UKTC? Is there a market for such a policy? If not,
why not?
rob
-----Original Message-----
From: TreeSpecialists@xxxx.com [mailto:TreeSpecialists@xxxx.com]
Sent: 01 September 2006 21:13
To: UK Tree Care
Subject: Re: one-off insurance?
Just imagine.....there are thousands of qualified and well experienced arbs
out there who work every week for reputable tree care firms. The
opportunity
does arise to do the occasional private job, to boost the kids college
fund...or just to pay the rent this month.
one off insurance would fit the bill very nicely...
The temptation to "join the pikey brigade" is more likely when one off
insurance is not available.
So the question remains....does anyone do one-off insurance or are we all
condemned to the choose between poverty or pikeyhood.
Andrew
In a message dated 01/09/2006 09:37:59 GMT Daylight Time,
rej.davidson@xxxxxxx.net writes:
Jim, imagine............... a mature Arb student, who has completed the
relevant CS units and is competent and fairly experienced, but cannot yet
afford a rolling insurance premium when all he is doing is trying to earn
an
extra bit of cash to get him through college. All he wants to do is
provide
whatever practical service he can (i.e fell the odd dead tree), safely and
backed by an insurance policy for the job. Consultancy is not an issue
until
he is professionally qualified. Quite rightly and quite responsibly he is
not prepared to join the 'Pikey' brigade.
I'll let him know your view though.
regards
rd
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