Made in China

The actual legal requirement for H & S did not come into being until after WWII but the consideration and concern for employees well being whilst at work was hardly a consideration. From memory I think it was companies like Bournville who first took an interest.

I do miss NZ lamb :-(

In a way attitudes to rank & file employees are similar in both China & the UK ...... in China they have enough 'spare' labour to simply bring in someone else if one of their employees are killed or injured whilst in the UK employers are all too ready to 'dump' someone with years of experience and skills because he or she is over a certain age.

My personal feelings on the matter are we should NEVER have joined the EU and developed the Commonwealth. Just think of all that could have been done with the =A3 Billions sent to Brussels. Some countries within the EU have H & S standards / records far worse than China or India. As a 'sensible' country we abide by the EU laws but others ....... remember the French farmers burning UK livestock wagons with the livestock still inside ?

I say invite a delegation of French farmers to the UK via the Channel Tunnel and fill it full of concrete whilst they are still inside.

Chris

Recon dallying with Nurse Gladys Emmanuelle would have involved some heavy lifting - oh if only.

Cheers, Simon

Didn't the EU consider an extra-high Europe-wide import tax on all imports which were not made in accordance with European environmental standards, but I haven't heard anything about it, so I assume it was abandoned owing to the cost of doing inspections overseas. If the practical issues could be overcome, this might not be a bad idea to revive, but adding in H&S regulations to the inspections. This would remove a lot of the advantages of manufacturing in the far east, and thus besides the direct consequences, would be very popular in the ex-industrial lower class constituencies by leading to an increase in employment. THe question for the politicains is whether the votes from those who benefit directly and from the environmentalists will offset the lost votes from those who want their cheap goods.

IANAL, but I think the morality exemption[0] in the WTO rules would stop this being an illegal restriction on free trade.

[0] This says that a country can prevent the importation of anything which is illegal to produce in the country. It would be reasonable to argue that this is a logical extension of the principle.

Like children's toys with leaded paint or melamine-laced milk products.

Probably excessive lead! ;-)

Greg.P.

That's what I did, but shops and bottom end customers wanted an "all in one" controller as that is/was perceived as safer for children. The NZ enthusiast market is too small to justify producing the limited numbers I was selling. :-( OTOH there's a ready market for old H&Ms.

Sure, but I'm not allowed to do it under NZ standards. The point is that the regulations applied to me as a possible manufacturer are different to those applied to imports. :-(

Greg.P.

Not precisely, what I meant was not only that the products would have to meet our standards, but that the manufacturing processes would as well. Sorry if I was unclear or imprecise.

Mazac is the name of an alloy of MAgnesium, Zinc, Aluminium and Copper. Also known as Zamak or Mazak (K from kupfer, the German for copper). I wouldn't be surprised if some unscrupulous manufacturers added lead.

I wasn't precise either - just throwing a topical reference.

The EU do anything - thats hopeful. They cant even get farming standards to the same level within the EU so how do you expect them to extend such things outside ?

CHeers, Simon

But that is what many devices, especially PC gear, already come as. Very strange.

No accounting for taste, is there. Although they invariably pass the Test & Tag process. I have tested a number of H&M's for a friend (and other brands), he always manages to sell them it seems. They just can't properly control modern motors, so what is the point?. Much better as an older type are the old CDA's, still being made someone told me.

Kevin Martin