Duh: Aerospace Workers Banned From Using iPods
1:06 pm, July 3rd, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
Image courtesy Marshall Aerospace
Feel slightly bad for the folks at Marshall Aerospace out on the tarmac, using forklifts or putting planes together who got used to listening to ambient or Vegan-a-Go-Go podcasts while on the job.
Following the advice of a health and safety expert, the 1,500 employees of the Cambridge, UK company have been banned from using iPods at work.
“There have been no particular incidents,” said an unnamed spokesman in a press release. “But on our site there are aircraft, forklift trucks and so on moving around – and we are a precision engineering firm. We feel that people should always be concentrating fully.”
He added: “We don’t get middle-aged employees wearing iPods but we do see employees in their 20s who listen to music while working.”
Comforting to know the young ‘uns won’t be distracted on the job.
What other professions should be banned from using iPods at work?
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in News, iPod | Comment on this article
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Windows employees.
thanx_al, on July 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
At the lab I work in iPods are allowed as long as it’s only in one ear – presumably so you can hear if anything goes wrong, or if the fume cupboard alarms are going off. It’s a smart policy.
Bob, on July 3rd, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I work in aerospace in the UK and I couldn’t work without an ipod. It’s excellent sound insulation against inane chatter in the office. However, I can see some hazards in some environments:- fire alarms, heavy machinery or even just spoken warnings (chemical spills etc.)
Same as anywhere, you just have to be professional and pay attention to your surroundings…
Jeff, on July 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Duh?
Bus drivers
Taxi drivers
Pilots
Next time you’re flying Air Yemen, won’t you be comforted to know that the mechanic who serviced the plane’s broken aileron or whatever that morning had loud music blaring in his ears while he worked?
Ken Cohen, on July 3rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Ken: er, why pilots, exactly?
John, on July 3rd, 2009 at 4:00 pm
teachers. but it would help to drown out the whining of the other teachers, parents, admins…..
db, on July 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I can understand the ban… It makes sense in some places. It really depends on what you’re doing. I regularly listen to music with noise-blocking (not cancelling) headphones in on my motorcycle… But I wouldn’t do it if I was heading into urban traffic. *Shrug* It’s really dependent on the situation.
The strangest thing about all of this is that you’ve now put me onto Vegan-A-Go-Go and much to my surprise it’s actually good… O_o Am I a joke now?
I’m ‘only’ vegetarian but extra recipes can’t hurt.
Duality, on July 3rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Duality–
Confession: I was just rooting around for examples and loved the name. (Then I listened to it and thought it was cool — despite being an relatively untroubled omnivore, myself.)
The reference was in no way intended to demean vegans or aerospace workers, FWIW…
Nicole Martinelli, on July 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Haha, thanks Nicole, no problem at all. Like I said you’ve put me onto an interesting podcast… And I’m a podcast freak so it’s going to get a lot of use! =P
^_^
Duality, on July 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 pm
[...] via: Cult Of Mac [...]
Prohibió la entrada a mas de 1500 trabajadores de Marshall Aerospace |, on July 4th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I’m not allowed to wear an iPod at my mall-retail job, even if we’re before or after store hours. It’s kind of lame.
Michael Kaufmann, on July 7th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
There were four reasons for the ban given to the employees, none of which was “We feel that people should always be concentrating fully.â€Â
They were:
- Premature hearing loss due to daily use
- Not being able to hear warnings, aircraft, forklifts, etc
- Noise ‘leaking’ and annoying other people
- Other people hearing your music thus requiring Performing Rights Society licences.
In my environment (office) I find it difficult to concentrate with the level of background noise (I’m sat next to a printer and a meeting area). Hence my productivety has dropped since the ban. At least I’m not going against health and safety recommendations though!
Dan, on July 21st, 2009 at 5:13 am