See that is the problem with engineers :-) They spend all their time on technical issues and none in the humanities.. Way back in the 1930s or '40s, George Orwell explained this for all time with the following immortal observation:
"All animals are created equal. Some are more equal than others." From: Fred Townsend <[email protected]> Organization: DC to Light Consulting Services List-Post: [email protected] Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 13:08:54 -0800 To: Ken Javor <[email protected]> Cc: "Robert A. Macy" <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: Storage of UPS Batteries I don't necessarily disagree with Mr. Javor. However if the person in the wheel chair has the right to endanger my life but I do not have the right to endanger the person in the wheel chair, the wheel chair driver becomes a super citizen. Where is the equal protection under the law guaranteed by the constitution? Fred Townsend Ken Javor wrote: Re: Storage of UPS Batteries I think Mr. Townsend draws the correct conclusion. Further, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Consider that safety regulations are the manifestation of the gov't as nanny ( a generalization to be sure, and not meant to paint all safety regulations as unnecessary). The ADA provides civil rights protection to individuals. Which is the original and most important function of gov't. Now granted once again there are way too many cases where people go overboard. But if you look at the fundamentals, it is not that "off-the-wall" that the ADA can in some cases trumps safety regs. Ken Javor From: Fred Townsend <[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> Organization: DC to Light Consulting Services List-Post: [email protected] Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:59:34 -0800 To: "Robert A. Macy" <[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: Storage of UPS Batteries Let's apply Occam's Razor here. If we assume the probability of the seeing eye dog biting someone approaches zero then the seeing eye dog does not endanger its owner or the public at large. Can we say the same of the lead acid battery in the electric wheel chair? I think not. In fact one could argue that the wheel chair battery offers a greater hazard to the person in the chair than the public at large since the disabled person can not protect themselves as well as the public at large. Furthermore the wheel chair may be serviced by unqualified personal (i.e. the owner). (I have seen where the gel cell was replaced by ordinary automotive batteries.) That makes the wheel chair a hazard to both the owner and the public at large. May we then conclude ADA trumps safety regulations? Fred Townsend Robert A. Macy wrote: Probably an "exemption" much like allowing seeing eye dogs into restaurants, etc. - Robert - On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 08:26:02 -0800 "Price, Ed" <[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: From: Robert A. Macy [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 7:32 AM To: Matthias Weingart; EMC-pstc (E-mail 2) Subject: Re: Storage of UPS Batteries Watch out! Not every shipper will accept an item like that. For example, here in San Jose California I cannot even board a municipal bus carrying such an item. {I tried once and was not allowed to board.] - Robert - OTOH, California rapid transit systems are very aware that they must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), providing for easy access of handicapped individuals. And each of those powered wheelchairs has a pair of moderately large sealed, lead-acid batteries. Hmmmmmm. Ed Ed Price [email protected] WB6WSN NARTE Certified EMC Engineer & Technician Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab Cubic Defense Applications San Diego, CA USA 858-505-2780 (Voice) 858-505-1583 (Fax) Military & Avionics EMC Is Our Specialty This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. 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