You shouldn't be driving to the office when there will be a red weather warning

[mandydandy]

We are in the north east of Scotland. Tomorrow is supposed to be an Amber weather warning for wind and rain most of the day. Later it will apparently be even worse and turning to a red weather warning.
I suggested to my DH that he should maybe work from home tomorrow.
However, his bosses have said they need everyone in the office for a big project. Not likely to get home before the weather warning goes red either.
DH has to drive a pretty awful road to get home. Any other routes would have even more trees and are really twisty.
Surely they should work from home if the weather is going to be that bad?

There are still so many dodgy looking trees from storm Arwen on his route too.
Not really any hotels really close available. You would still need to drive from the hotel to the office in the industrial estate.
It is an oil company so really no need to be in the office whilst the weather is so shit outside.

They absolutely do. You’re spot on.

Any rain warning.
”Is it safe to drive?”
”It is safer not to drive in these conditions…” and then they give you tips if you MUST drive in an emergency.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/stay-safe-in-heavy-rain#driving

So OP, YANBU and your DH has the Met Office guidance to back him (and his colleagues).

They will say the red warning is not until 6pm tomorrow evening and the office is not quite in it. Our house is in the red zone though.

The police are now being quite explicit that this red warning means do not travel. We are expecting lots of surface flooding along with severe flood alerts for a number of rivers, and, like storm arwen, the high winds are likely to be from an unusual direction, which makes the risk of impacts even greater. I am staggered that an employer thinks it acceptable to order their staff to ignore warnings like this that are not given lightly on the dubious grounds that they're just outside the forecast red area (so still presumably in the amber warning area) and/or that the precise timing is 6pm. Because we all know that weather forecasts stick accurately to the minute. I would not be travelling.

Last time we had a red warning we were all told to stay at home by the police! That was 2 years ago!

Stay home and don't risk your life

What his boss needs to understand that preceding the red warning is an amber warning. Amber warnings are 'travel only if necessary' and that there is a risk to life and property. So for hours before the red warning, there will be a deteriorating and nasty situation. His boss also needs to understand that neither the timings, nor the red warning zone is exact. Both may change at short notice and even if neither are actually changed by the Met Office, they should be thought of as fuzzy boundaries, not absolute boundaries.

Your dh would be taking a great risk if he were to travel and to aim to beat the red warning.

I’m a nurse, still need to go to work, we have to try to get in its bloody scary and I totally get that night staff needed let away etc fine if you can walk like a lot of staff did but I lived far, how commuting to Edinburgh from Stirling and Stirling is in the red area
urgh hope everyone keeps safe

Can he go and then leave at lunch?

Wrong Thread to be posting this @MumToADelightfulOne

He does a whole day at nursery. He did half days Feb - July this year and full time as of Sept 2023

I think you need to start your own thread

Totally wrong thread - first time I’m using this.

Unless the project is something like he has a secret ingredient to cure all diseases and illnesses and somehow he's the only one in posession of this, then his bosses can fuck off.

I'm in the same area & same industry. We were all told today to wfh for the next 2 days. Personally I think he'd be mad to travel given the warnings

Your husband's boss is being unreasonable. It's really not acceptable to put his staff at risk like that. Your husband needs to be firm that you live in the red area and that his route is already a poor road to drive even without storm conditions. The project meeting needs to be rescheduled.

A red warning isn't something we get often. The last red warning I can remember in my part of Scotland was the beast from the east snow which left us snowed in for about four days.

People take red snow warnings seriously - well most of them do - and they should do the same for rain. It's going to be very wild in north east Scotland tomorrow.

We are barely on the edge of the amber warning area and we've been told to stay at home. It's just not worth the risk.

Can he use his company's whistleblowing process to make a complaint to HR? Then he can't (or shouldn't) face any kind of discipline if he doesn't go in.

YANBU. Nobody should be driving in a red weather warning - even on an Amber it's a bit dodgy.

He needs to tell them tomorrow morning it's too dangerous. Life is more important than any work
Emergency services need a clear road too

We are on the east coast, and have had at-home medical appointments for tomorrow and Friday cancelled. Schools and college have announced closures.

Only travel if completely essential. I hope your husband's company see sense.

I am with the - this is a H&S matter, could they justify the decision if there was a H&S investigation. THe answer is clearly NO

Definitely a no to unnecessary presenteeism!

His boss is ridiculous.

Yikes - we are planning on driving from Skye to edinburgh tomorrow. None of the route takes us through Angus and Aberdeenshire, but amber routes a plenty. Need to be back in edinburgh for work - but this thread making me wonder if should try and postpone?? I don’t know the area at all. Anyone got any advice? Sorry to derail thread