On a recent trip to India, I noticed on construction sites
the Labourers (Most of them were usually Women!)
carried loads on their heads, in buckets or baskets.
One Lady works at an ornamental garden and
spends all day watering the plants from a bucket
she balances on her head.
Another Lady, a fruit vendor on the beach
also carries her wares on her head
Thinking back,
I remember seeing this in England in the 1960'swhere roofer carried stacks of tiles or buckets of mortar
on their heads.
They would climb ladders and traverse the roof
with both hands free; their load safely balanced
on a rubber ring that was wrapped in rags and placed
on top of their head
I cannot recall seeing one incidence of this in the UK
in the last 40 years or so.
(You can see a similar contraption on our fruit vendor's head)
(If you have evidence of this practice still in daily use
anywhere in the "Western world" I will be very
grateful to see the evidence)
That would also be about the time when the
Health and Safety Legislation first hit the UK
Is this a coincidence or is another example of the
bureaucrats killing of an ancient skill, whilst they
pursue their dream of wrapping in cotton wool
everyone who works anywhere outside of a bank?
We frequently post about Health and Safety matters
on our main website: Mayfield-Roofing.co.uk
Thinking back to the guys with the tiles balanced on
their heads; the other trick they used to do, was
instead of climbing down the rungs of ladders,
they would slide down the ladder, gripping the
outside of it with their gloves and boots
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