We all know health and safety can be important and should be taken seriously we’re all also familiar with people using health and safety as an excuse. Then there are the people who take their concerns about risk too far and use health and safety to justify ridiculous rules and decisions.
Well the Health and Safety Executive are clearly fed up of taking the blame and have set up the Myth Busters Challenge Panel which provides a mechanism to independently challenge advice or decisions, made in the name of health and safety, that are believed to be disproportionate or inaccurate.
Their website lists some brilliant examples, here are a couple of our favourites.
Stop press, confetti isn’t dangerous after all!
A sign at a pub reads “Customers please note: due to confetti being a health and safety issue, unfortunately we are requesting that you do not use any. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
The response from the panel, ” This is not and never was a health and safety issue. It is encouraging to note that after contact from HSE the pub manager has agreed to take the sign down. If the pub wants to ban confetti because of the clean up problems it creates that is their decision but they can’t hide behind the veil of health and safety!”
Donkey rides are still allowed!
A newspaper reported that council bureaucrats banned donkey rides for children at a village fete because of health and safety concerns.
The response from the panel, ” There is nothing in health and safety law that stops children enjoying a holiday donkey ride, or that requires them to wear helmets to do so.
In this case the organisers cancelled the donkey rides because the operator did not hold the licence required under animal welfare legislation.
This was misrepresented as a health and safety issue in the newspaper report. HSE is keen to set the record straight, and for this and future generations to continue to enjoy the traditions of the summer fete.
If you have been told you can’t do something because of health and safety but you suspect it is an excuse you can contact the Myth Buster Challenge Panel via the Health and Safety Executive website.
