Company taking mobile phone.

Foghorn Leghorn

Hoping for some help.
i work for a company doing land surveying, i was recently told that the company is taking away our mobile phones as a cost cutting measure.
i can live with this but what i want to know is who is responsible if i get hurt on site and am unable to contact anyone (I survey alone and am often miles from anywhere)Is it my responsibility to have a phone or my company. the reason i ask is, in the unlikely event of something happening to me when I'm on my own I don't want to suddenly find out it was up to me to have a phone.
Is anyone aware of any existing legislation on this??

Nody

The company has to provide adequate protection during work (from training to materials); what this is will depend on work to work, your other equipment, how big the risks are considered to be etc.

In short I don't think there is a clear cut black or white answer to your question as it would depend on the whole picture, policies and what not. I'd bring it up with your manager and/or HR. Perhaps suggest that they don't allow any personal calls or add a emergency beeper or similar (common for lumberjacks due to cover requirements etc.).

Suaimhneach

This might seem a bit harsh, but be grateful you have a job and bring your own mobile.

Amalgam

This isn't cost cutting, it's Scrooge cutting. A work expense (and asset), now becomes a worker expense.

Can you not reason with the employer that it might dissuade people from making contact and pushing work through, so to speak.

aoibhebree

Well plenty of people working in , for example, farming or construction might often be working on their own. If they were to get hurt, I'm pretty sure their employers wouldn't be in trouble for not providing them with a phone.

Maybe you should just be grateful for being given the use of a phone up to now, and go and buy yourself your own one - they're really not that expensive!

kaimera

well the phone they give you is for business use only i'd assume.

bring yer own phone and bill them back any business calls you have to make.

C Eng

Get your own phone, and don't give them the phone number. It's a bad state of affairs when companys are cutting costs like this. Use your own phone purely for personal calls, try to keep use of such to break times.

How do the company intend to contact you regarding changing surveying locations etc?

Has there been issues with staff running up phone billls on personal calls during work time that may have provoked this action?

gman2k

Like the post above, I'd say bring your own phone, but don't ever use it for work purposes.
I'm sure your employer has your mobile number already.
If they want to ring you on it, fair enough, but never ever ring them. Also, never give out your number to clients etc, and never talk work calls outside of work hours.
I used to work for a bunch of scabs who didn't provide a phone, yet I was out of the office quite a lot.
Eventually they got the message when I played their game. Phone was provided eventually, but was turned off at 5.30pm.

@ the OP -Regarding who is responsible if you get hurt on site? You are responsible for your won safety, and the safety of others around you.
Are you trying to make out that you don't have a phone of your own to use in emergency situations?

Hagar

Express your concerns in writing to the company. Perhaps they haven't thought through the implications such a move could have on employees in your particular circumstances.

Should an unfortunate accident occur the fact that they took away the phone knowing your situation could leave them with a serious liability.

Other posters have made the point that you are responsible for your own safety, that is true but only up to a point, it doesn't absolve your employer of duty of care towards you. If it did why would any employer ever have employee liability insurance?

Buffman

Foghorn Leghorn wrote: »

i can live with this but what i want to know is who is responsible if i get hurt on site and am unable to contact anyone (I survey alone and am often miles from anywhere)Is it my responsibility to have a phone or my company. the reason i ask is, in the unlikely event of something happening to me when I'm on my own I don't want to suddenly find out it was up to me to have a phone.

Ask for a copy of your companies safety statment. Check if this situation is mentioned.

Foghorn Leghorn wrote: »

Is anyone aware of any existing legislation on this??

I haven't come across any specific mention of phones, most health and safety law is very general by it's nature.