In his most strident attack yet on health and safety David Cameron has pledged to cut back the “monster” he says it has become, free business from the “stranglehold” of red tape it creates, and reduce the “pointless time-wasting” it causes for the economy.
Speaking to an audience of small-business owners and entrepreneurs in Maidenhead this morning Mr Cameron outlined the Government’s plans to make it easier for them to cope with “the great big machine of health and safety that has built up over the years”.
As well as cutting back rules and regulations, and examining the way in which they are enforced to ensure it is reasonable, specific steps he will take include:
According to Mr Cameron, these are the first steps in the “war” he intends to wage against the “excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of British businesses”.
He concluded: “So this coalition has a clear New Year’s resolution: to kill off the health and safety culture for good. I want 2012 to go down in history not just as Olympics year or Diamond Jubilee year, but the year we get a lot of this pointless time-wasting out of the British economy and British life once and for all.”
IOSH was “appalled” at the prime minister’s “unhelpful” comments, pointing out that the reason the health and safety legislative system exists is to prevent death, injury, or illness at work, and protect livelihoods in the process.
The Institution’s head of policy and public affairs, Richard Jones, added: “The problem identified by the Government’s own reviews is not the law, but rather exaggerated fear of being sued, fed by aggressive marketing.”€
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I suggest the PM reads the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Its the finest legislation in the history of the UK. What he should do is put a stop to our total acceptance of European Directives being immediately converted into UK Regulations under the above Act. It is these directives that have led to business being inundated with Bumf, The legal profession becoming wealthy and a new breed of busybodies called ‘Risk Assessors’ who have brought Health & Safety in disrepute.
I have had four goes at trying to put into words that can be published on this site and I still think I haven’t been able to verbalise how I feel about this sycophantic pandering to businesses that hurt people by breaking the law!
Mick; I believe that you’ve hit the nail right on the head there!
The PM’s statement is so tabloid it beggars belief
Making sure that the company makes a good profit doesn’t mean that it’s ok to hurt people – and not hurting people actually helps many business get more work – Just ask some of the contractors that worked on the Olympics!
The last paragraph in the article says it all!!
Where did DC get his advice for his blurt? The business lobby I’d wager! It’s a bit like cuts in policing and detection being recommended by the people that the police are trying to protect us from
What you suggest has already been attempted. Consequently, there have been £millions made by no-win-no-fee lawyers, surely this by your comment is ‘free business enterprise’ too?
It’s just another step on the road to this country a 3rd world one!!
A good Health & Safety culture attempts to keeps us safe and is a given, this message must always start at the Top ! There is no higher place than that of PM and his message nails his colours to the mast. Remarks such as ” kill off the health and safety culture for good “, are a disgrace to his office and undoubtedly suggests to some that peoples health and safety at work is not important. Typical politician, headline grabbing opportunity, create distraction, avoid reality and truth.
Not surprising really the track records, overwhelming imporatance attached to cost. Government are now concerned about Liver damage among the young from excessive drinking, the first consideration is the cost to the NHS not the cost to the lives of those affected.
We now face with the Burden to Business of the health and safety Monster , knee jerk again treating the symptons not the cause, safety practitioners have been warning Governments for years about risk averse attitudes vs common sense!
I wholeheartedly welcome the proposition of capping fees that “No Win No Fee” lawyers claim. Couple of questions for Mr Bott, 1, How much have lawyers fees increased since the Woolfe Reforms were introduced? 2, What is the hourly rate of a grade 1 solicitor? 3, When will the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers realise that once the golden goose is dead, we will all suffer? 4, In total how much collectively did your members claim back in fees on “No Win No Fee” claims last year?. Reply?
I note Mr Bott has not responded to my post of the 10/01. I watched your performance on Channel 4 News last night and challenge you to an open debate on lawyers fees on NWNF claims. Would welcome DC to be in the audience and maybe realise why we are forced to engage strict rules in H&S. For those who understand where I am comming from please support me and vote positive. Mr Bott I will let you choose venue time and place?
There is lack of practical understanding of safety issues: largely in big firms, preoccupied with ‘box-ticking’ systems of ‘compliance’ and a misunderstanding the purpose of ISO 9000 and other audit procedures, which reflect neither quality nor ability but which are simply a record of disguised incompetence!
Such specious approach to ‘compliance’ has contributed greatly to increased, relative rates of occupational accident, since 1970, in the UK and World wide.
Contradiction abounds, he refers to the Olympics in one breath (which was inundated with stringent safety procedures and excessive cost to prevent any bad publicity during its construction) and then berates the same culture that hinders industry?
Funny how all the SH companies are still flourishing under such intrusion of liberty by unwanted burden?
And its amazing how foreign companies continue to work here with such unjustifiable intrusion? Yet make millions (Tax Free mostly)
Baffled?
Am I alone in actually reading the text! Reducing the compensation culture and excessive demands from insurers. Reasonable enforcement. These are good! I would like to see the DSE and MH Regs disappear as they are a tool for NWNF lawyers and add no value to H&S. I am currently working in Africa with a mining company can apply sense to H&S to reduce the serious issues and protect workers. Let’s concentrate on significant risk shall we as this is what is ruining lives, not the trivial.
The chap is a Tory – through & through, so I wouldnt bother looking for any evidence of a social (no pun) conscience.
shameful indeed!
Brilliant. The only 2 groups to comment here are people who work in H&S and lawyers who benefit from it. Businesses and workers (which I am one) don’t want it, are there riots on the street from those without a vested interest, bring it on Davey, abolish 1974 and set us free less government coercion, it has no right to interfere with the free business enterprise.
Anything that simplifies the legal requirements for business should be welcomed. However, Mr Cameron saying he will “Kill off the health and safety culture” is proposterous!! Anybody that knows anything about protection principles knows that nurturing the safety culture of a business is vital if you want to protect the wellbeing of it’s employees. The only way to ensure businesses do everything practicable to comply with the law when balancing against cost is to improve, not kill safety culture!
Back to the Dark Ages, factories will become work houses, fatalities and injuries will increase dramatically. Well done Mr P.M. our ‘leader’! I’m all for getting rid of the blame claim culture and making regulations clearer; we might not like all of them but they do help to protect us all. What would be the P.M action be to a slip, trip or fall injury at no.10? who’s to blame? why wasnt ‘I’ protected against it? lets put a regulation there to stop it happening again! wheres my safety manager?
This seems to indicate, yet again, the ‘jobs for the boys’ type culture for ‘businesses’ being protected by the current government! some H&S legislation/procedure could do with a review and the culture of i tripped over so you owe me should indeed be challenged, but not at the price of the safety of individuals to appease the industry bosses (commonly known as backers I believe)
It’s no secret that some of the most profitable companies are the safest operators. The tabloids created the nickname “‘elf and safety” and He’s fallen for the propaganda. I do hope that no harm befalls him, as a result of his proposed reforms…
Clearly the aim is to enable business to make more profit and therefore create more jobs and lessen unemployment but this will be at the cost of higher injury and death rates. Having worked as a consultant it used to be difficult enough to persuade SME’s to take H&S seriously now they have been given a charter to ignore it. Anyone working as a consultant has my sympathy.
The reality is that the UK economy is no longer valid, and needs to be able to compete globally, either we can sit back continue the trend of increasing unemployment, poverty increase or make the country viable as a place to carry out business, slimming down H&S is part of that. Its either 50% unemployment –poverty & a return to traditional manufacturing that’s viable globally, your choice. We need to see the bigger picture.
I am neutral in this only trying to put forward a blanced argument
As Teresa May said..the nasty party..Cameron has demonstrated His true colours rather than wanting good business he wants cowboy business. Good to see Richard being so pr active.
We had to work hard to qualify and be competent to practice as a H&S professionals, what qualification and experience gives him the right to question how we save lives and make the UK a safe place to work.
Health and Safety is not a burden to those who know what they are doing, it’s those who misinterpret the requirements that make H&S a millstone, those who use it as an excuse to delay or cancel works/projects because they do want to spend the money or time to do things properly.
David Cameron is first and foremost a politician and as they say – there’s one thing worse than being talked about and that’s NOT being talked about. . I agree that what he should have said is that it is the myth about being sued that is the problem, not health and safety per se (as confirmed by Prof Loftstedt). If you really want to get to the bottom of this then do an FOI request to the Prime Minister asking for the evidence to support his statements. (Then wait for the wooly reply)!!!
Safety adviser for 24yrs in multi national and multi site companiesr. The last 7yrs a Sole Trader offering a H&S Consultancy and Training service mainly to SME’s. It is my opinion that the compliance requirements for SME’s is ounerous, most of the time beyond their in house expertise. They often fall foul of Claims made against them through common sense requirements of behaviour. Are often sold H&S packages with no back up,are left wondering what they pay for. Time for a better deal for SME’s
And printing this article AGAIN has really helped!
IOSH was “appalled” at the prime minister’s “unhelpful” comments
Stop giving it air time
o dear mr cameron has never been on a big job/ he should read the shp and see what the country of back street builders are all about. went to spain seen a man with a rope pully. pulling a bucket of mortare 15 meters up with no edge protection in a pair of shorts and flip flops scary.. reading some of the problems on shp it seems with camron we could end up just like that in the future, carnt wait well done mr camron.
Whereby Cameron may have a legitimate point in reducing the claim culture, his choice of words were rather disappointing. Many employers are already ignoring the H&S in their business. After these comments it will be a case of why bother.
DSE is an important part of H&S especially with all the pain and suffering being experienced in the the ‘unnatural ‘ environment of the office. One could argue that H&S including DSE is saving the NHS money.
Read the small-print, it is the hangers on he is after. Pprimary school sports event where the insurer is demanding the school hold an additional £10M third party injury policy taken out with them (they want an want an exhorbitant premium). Cyclist who went “off road” , cycled in to a tree and is suing because he was not warned there were trees in the forrest (Laugh by all means but it is true!!).
Lets junk the rubbish but be carefull not to throw out the baby with the bath water!
This is waht happens when thick people vote – they vote TORY !!!!!
Ill informed and not helpfull comments from “Dave” who just wants your vote. His grasp on the subject is about the same as Lord Young let the professional Lofsted have the final say. Clearly he is the only one with suitable knowledge of the subject
Me thinks we are heading back to the victorian times govenor, I musn’t forget to doff my cap on the way out
Paul – i think you have a very valid point.We can all quote examples of the “bonkers conkers” brigade & we all know that insurance companies & under experienced jobsworths can ruin the true meaning of H&S law, but the real point of a “good health & safety culture” is to prevent fatalities and serious injuries /illnesses at work. If DC had to witness the effects of an industrial accident/failure to comply with H&S law, maybe he’d be more careful with his agressive rhetoric against H&S culture
More profit, more jobs, more injuries, more deaths I am sure that the number that would sign up will be considerably less when they realise they are signing up for a greater risk of death, being maimed or contracting a serious disease. These laws are in place because employers have a history of consistently ignoring the welfare of employees to maximise their profits
We need, as individuals, to protest vigorously against these continued simplistic and damaging comments made by the PM. If you think his comments were wrong, email and write to Chris Grayling and the PM – don’t just leave it to our professional bodies. I did after the PM’s post-riot ‘fight-back’ speech and I’ll do so again now.
Absolutely appalled!
Its hard enough to get any SME to take responsibility for the Health and Safety of their employees without misguided unfounded and downright dangerous edits from ther like of Mr Cameron, who is only creating this band wagon to win votes!!!!! What about leading from the front!
What about those who give professional, proportionate advice and consultancy? See you all at the job centre!
Normally I hear people talk about improving the safety culture, but to have a Prime Minister talk about ‘killing it off’ is frankly a disgrace. Cameron needs to move into the modern world and bring his speech writers along with him.
Unbelievable – what he describes is his battle against the compensation culture and the vulures who thrive off this. What he doesn’t seem to understand is that by making such irresponsible statements he is encouraging employers to ignore good practice no doubt leading to more incidents and guess what more claims!!
Mr Cameron should visit the affected families of those who are injured, maimed or killed at work as a consequence of unscrupulous, money grabbing employers. Good employers have nothing to fear. I strongly suspect that Mr Cameron is jumping on the anti Health and Safety bandwagon as a way of deflecting attention from the real problems that needs to be addressed across the UK.
While it is plain to see that David Cameron is way off the mark and hasn’t got a clue about H&S there is a problem that needs to be dealt with. The current claims culture has resulted in me having to employ someone full time just to defend the company against constant claims and while we don’t pay out because we do have good H&S practices I have to fork out thousands of pounds every year to prove it
Michael, the cliche or metaphor does work on the following level:
Wearing the albatross was punishment for the ancient mariners reckless actions which resulted directly in the deaths of his work colleagues and his own “life-in-death” existence until his penitent prayer.
It follows that in this situation, the way to remove this albatross is for businesses to follow the law and ensure their actions do not put others at risk.
After all, legislation is only a burden to the criminal.
😉
Yet again Cameron has confirmed he is an idiot of the highest order. If he were made to read about the accidents caused and pain and suffering of individuals recorded here he may change his tune; and that is with H&S legislation in place, Lord knows what will happen if H&S is no longer a priority. His comments are most unhelpful and he should be taken to task for them.
We will now be in a situation where employers will completely ignore all health and safety and put every single one of his/her employees at risk. Well done David Cameron for trying to brainwash society into believe that health and safety is a burden. There are too many businesses out there, large and small that cut corners to make a profit and ignoring basic health and safety regulations. This man is poison to this country and we are in for a very very scary and unsafe future.
I am really concerned by some comments left, in particular people stating regulations such as DSE, MH and COSHH being pointless. One of the most complaints and injuries you get in the workplace is from MH and DSE use. They are not pointless. People agreeing with the h&s culture comments by the PM on this website need to be in a different profession because clearly, safety is not your concern. I expect that kind of talk from managers, not h&s professionals. simplify, not remove the regs.
the PM seems to be getting his advice from the same brand of so called specialists who advocate extreme and knee jerk reaction he is seeking to abolish.
The problem is not with general legilsation but the prevalence of amateurs who profess to know the legislation but sell cheap advice suppiorted by the HSE who will only ever give ultrasafe guidance. Robens set out to make H&S self assessed, the loophole is that the advisors to industry have lost persepective of real risk for fear of being sued
Disappointing that PM gives imbalanced opinion again in an attempt to ‘cosy up’ to cheap tabloid media. Any opinion on H&S law and statutory compliance both civil and criminal must be based on areasonably balanced viewpoint – we all agree that H&S systems need to be simple and practical without undue ‘box ticking’ and bureaucracy but his messasge again seems to blame an excellent H&S culture that has ytaken to 30+ years to develop for all life’s ill’s and burdens – he needs a history lesson!!
I find it VERY interesting that one set of data are never proclaimed – the cost to ‘the taxpayer’ of those injuries and ill health. Imagine the effect of a headline ‘ Small Businesses Complain that the Taxpayers Object to Paying £17 Billion a Year for our Lack of Care’, but isn’t taht exactly what they are stating? Full compliance with the law would massively reduce the accidents and ill health so the businesses expect the taxpayer to foot the bill for their failure.
At last, someone who has the guts to speak out about the whole raft of pointless legislation that clogs a common sense approach to risk/business. All those who have declared their outrage at the PMs comments do have a vested interest in further complication of H&S law. There are so many pointless requirements (tippex under the COSHH regs for one) that defy belief. Lets focus on the real dangers.
Who? if you mean the PM then you are clearly thinking that to lessen the compliance burden on industry is bad – how wrong, it frees up industry to be more competitive, make more products, yes profit and generate more jobs. I am sure those that are unemployed would jump at the chance of a job even if they could sign a waiver from a couple of pointless regulations, perhaps DSE/MHR/some of COSHH etc.
I do not know who the PM is appealing to with his comments it’s really simple as I see it.
Good business will welcome and see the benefits of sensible risk management and will therefore ignore the comments. A simplistic well enforced legal framework, which we all want, will ensure organisations that do not manage risk, struggle and will have their licence to operate removed by the insurance market, the latter will do what they want regardless.
The ‘monster’ has legs will run and run.
Yet more rubbish from the PM
We have a somewhat false figure on injury and death in the UK work place
Firstly the most dangerous indutries are now so small accident rates are likewise.
Secondly, we do not include accidents on the roads in our work place stats, they are appauling numbers who are killed and injuried driving company vehicles.
the number of senior managers being prosecuted are on the increase.
The number of accidents reported are estimated to be between 50 – 75% under reported.
Our Prime Minister is an embarrassment. He can’t even get his cliches right! Since when has a burden been an “albatross” around the neck rather than a “mill stone”?
I think DC has become a dog with a bone. It is my opinion, and I think it is a point that DC is trying to make albeit badly, that the NWNF insurance culture has gone too long, thus making it difficult now to see the wood for the trees. DC may reduce this compensation culture to an ‘acceptable’ level, but NWNF lawyers will find another way to make money. There is no such thing as a poor lawyer!!
The big issue for me is that the phrase ‘heath and safety culture’ is still being bandied about in the wrong context.
Surely it should be ‘insurance claims culture’ that is the issue. If the terminology was right it mostly makes good sense. Having had visits from a wide variety of regulatory bodies in the last year, the most pedantic requests made of my employer have come from our insurer. Most likely with the intention of finding a reason not to pay out should we ever make a claim!
I’m confused if Mr. Cameron is really know what he said or he has no idea about H&S as we face from key persons in some organizations!!?
I wonder if he listened about recently Bp accident of Deep water horizon, Piper Alpha,….
I think UK shall suffer from this proclamation for long time!?
The PM needs to take a look at the worsening H&S statistics for fatalities, before making such spurious comments. Whan an insult to Loftsted, to totally disregard this government commissioned report by toadying such ill-considered sentiments to his buddies in big business.
You’re not alone in readint th text, but I fear you are alone in not fully appreciating the wider implications that have the potential to arise as a result of this soundbite. Remember, he’s specifically stated “…Health and Safety Culture…”, not compensation culture or NWNF.
If this comment was made in our workplace by a senior manager we’d be up in arms. Little difference here I’m afraid and such a statement effectively goes against over 200yrs of legislative effort to improve occy H&S.
“changing the law on strict liability in civil health and safety cases so that employers are no longer automatically at fault if something goes wrong”
Strict liability laws were created in the 19th century to improve working and safety standards in factories. Needing to prove mens reas on the part of the factory owners was very difficult and resulted in very few prosecutions (Source Wikipedia)
A great leap backwards.
Mark
Proper understanding and application of DSE, MHR and COSHH can protect employers from frivolous litigation if that is what is important. The aim of these is to prevent needless occupational ill health which adds to profitability through loss of down time, skilled employee retention and fewer (genuine) compensation claims. So please tell me where the burden is.
“But David Cameron, who is a personal friend of Clarkson” (Guardian 1 Dec 2011)
Now that explains a lot. Can someone check to make sure Jeremy is not being paid as an advisor on Health and safety’ to the goverment?
Agree with you Ian completely:
To make this easy for everyone, here are some links/email addresses – I presume it is far better if they receive lots of quickly emails of varying detail rather than a few time detailed ones.
https://email.number10.gov.uk/Contact.aspx
chris.grayling.mp@parliament.uk
stephen@stephentimms.org.uk (shadow employment secretary)
You can read the text all you like but Cameron describing Health and Safety Culture per se as a monster is giving a green light to businesses to ignore H&S and is just wrong. Also, I hope you are not colluding with Chris Graylings original assumption that significant risks only occur in famously risky sectors such as mining, construction and agriculture? There are fatalities in most sectors which are preventable – e.g health care, social care, retail, and any job that involves driving for work
COSHH is about preventing occupational cancers, liver damage, neurotoxins, occupational asthma etc etc from signficant exposures to substances hazardous to health. COSHH does not require you to risk assess tipex.
Why on earth would you think COSHH and MHR are pointless? Remember H&S is not just about acute risks it is about chronic risks as well which are of a far greater order of magnitude.
I agree with you kellee. I presume anyone can comment on this forum rather than people with trained H&S professionals? This would have to be the case as people clearly do not understand the shear scale of chronic risks. This is a reason why I find the term common sense often unhelpful in health and safety.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, I thought that the so called red tape was introduced as a result of European directives/legislation. Please advise me if my understanding is wrong on this issue? I believe insurance companies have a greater role in that they should be tasked with conducting annual client safety reviews in which good safety management is rewarded by reduced insurance premiums. This would aid legal compliance, reduce insurance premiums and support the provision of a safe place of work.
If the political inferences can be put to one side, David Cameron is simply expressing the proportionate view of a huge number of intelligent members of our society in all walks of life, who cannot hide behind a plethora of restrictive ,ambiguous and consequently often misinterpretted Health and Safety Legislation, but seek to apply some common-sense to an out of contol H&S bureaucracy. I applaud and support Lord Young’s, Prof. Lofstedt’s and others attempts to break these burdensome shackles ..
Rob, the unnecessary bureaucracy is the “monster” out of control not the effects of proportionate health and safety in all industries. The challenge is to at least maintain but hopefully improve the current H&S results and statistics by more relevant , targetted and specific approaches rather than the current “anti-litigation” based proceedures of endless competence assessments, generic risk assessments and pointless associated paperwork only useful in court, when it is already too late.
Given that David Cameron was recently photographed on a construction site as the only individual not wearing PPE in a group of 10 individuals, it is apparent he exhibts all the behaviours of the reckless individual that health & safety professionals are working hard to re educate. Frankly he’s clueless on health & safety
Anyone ever considered the number of people we lose on the roads each year. Approx 3500, now that’s unacceptable and what are we doing about it – very little. Health and safety can be difficult for some businesses to implement as there is a cost to everything. “As far as reasonably practicable” comes to mind, something I have always supported. Many contractors are priced out of work as they cannot compete with the bigger boys. They can thpugh provide a better and cost effective safe service.
As a former IOSH president I would challenge David Cameron to participate in the investigation of a fatal or serious injury workplace accident from the “blood on the floor” stage to the conclusion of criminal and civil proceedings. It might cause him to reconsider his constant, ill-informed rhetoric about health and safety at work and carping about those who, by sensibly applying a code of law that is envied worldwide, daily attempt to prevent harm to our fellow human beings in the workplace.
The man’s an idiot. It’s strange that H & S law requires that persons managing H & S are competent to do so but there is no such requirement for a politician. I would suggest that there isn’t a competent one in the House of Commons as indicated by Camerons comments and the state of the country. When you take into account the general dishonesty of MPs (expenses etc) what more would you expect??
Many employers already ignore health and safety regulations. When they are caught they get little more than a slap on the wrist. Only when there is a serious incident does the law fall heavily on the company – assuming they have not gone into voluntary liquidation before the case is tried!
It’s a strange and perverse society that we live in. The government complain about ‘regulation, bureaurcacy, red tape’ and so on…it is goverment who introduce all the regulations! Indeed, now they are suggesting that the ‘claims culture’ should be regulated.
Nick, you’re right. Cameron doesn’t actually understand the implications of what he is saying.
Most confusingly, both reports into health and safety by Lord Young and Prof. Lofstedt actually share the view that health and safety regulation is proportionate to the risks, and only a very small number are actually being struck off or changed.
The problem is the legal professionals, whether they be NWNF lawyers or insurance companies deliberately muddy the water to make money.
what a misguided individual
I honestly, would like to see Mr Cameron as construction worker, foundry worker, manufacturing worker,etc… in general, working in areas where the Health and Safety is seen as a great improvement for the quality of working life! Well, maybe then Mr Cameron would really give the correct value and importance to the Health and Safety.
The costs to businesses and the tax payer can be significantly cut if the legislation regarding ‘no win – no fee’ deals is changed so that if a claim fails, the law company providing the ‘no win – no fee’ deal pays for all of the costs associated with the failed claim.
This way they will only chase those ligitimate claims which quite rightly should be compensated where there has been a material breach of duty by the employer.
The mind really does boggle at the narrow mindedness of this.
Various posters here have pointed out that we need to concentrate on the important issues and leave the trivial, but with comments like DC’s undermining everything we are working for, I see little chance of being able to convince my clients of my value to them.
And as for removing ‘strict liability’… that is almost giving dodgy employers a green light.
The only positive note is reining in the NWNF culture
Yes but ‘insurance claims culture’ doesn’t have the same media grabbing effect. The bonkers conkers brigade never say it ‘s the Insurance companies preventing us from doing this activity, they always blame ‘elf n safety’.
Paull, yes DC probably is articulating the view of proportionality that we all desire, but his choice of language does not say this. Phrases like ‘cutting back the monster’ are hardly helpful and simply feed the media frenzy.
Do people not realise the backward step this would be to cut back on health and safety, are we to go back to sending children up chimneys just to satisfy extra profits for the bosses, and leave the workers with no protection. Consevatives eh!
EC, yes at first glance the Regs may look onerous to SME’s, but that is where we Consultants come in – by helping them to sort the wheat from the chaff, and by advising them accordingly. But DC saying – or inplying that huge chunks of H&S is unnecessary is not going to help them or us.
Conflating on the one hand liability costs borne by bad performing companies with the essential and sensible risk management measures implemented by the good performing companies, shows naivety, or just plain ignorance. But, I suppose if your world view is from a standpoint of the cosseted playing fields of you-know-where, you are not in a position to see the real human costs of H&S underperformance. Or maybe you do see, but don’t care.
Unbelievable, out of touch, mis-informed and shooting from the hip once more. The continued H&S beating while missing the real root cause of the problem is alarming, whats more alarming is that somebody supposedly in the know is actually advising him to say this!
All politicians are ignorant liars and thieves and should be got rid of… Alright I don’t mean ALL. There must be people in government with laudable records of public service. And no I can’t think of a better system than representative democracy. And yes many MP’s have professional skills and life experience. And any future enquiry into the utility of politicians will probably conclude we should keep them. But sorry – I like attention grabbing soundbites. I’ll say it again when it suits me
I’m surprised David Cameron hasn’t blamed H&S for the crisis in the banking system
No worries Ladies and Gentlemen, it is like religions when God and books imply good and protective actions to follow and some are not following, then those whom will get hurt, and those whom are to pay the price at the end of the day.
setting policies and procedures are the sole responsibility of each business management regardless what IOSH or OSHA or whatever says including the Primre Minister,
you in your business is held accountable for the safety and for the measures to be fulfilled. Thanks
If Cameron were forced to climb across an unsafe roof or use an unguarded machine because it was the only job he could get and had to feed his family ….would he still be so quick to give away safety standards that Trade unions fought for?
The main thing that has driven H&S to the position it is in now was the Governments green light to ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements and aggressive advertising.
These comments from Mr C completely miss the point altogether and are very unhelpful to the safey profession as a whole.
Since this goverment has been in power I have witnessed several instances where both challenging behaviour and negativity has become apparent within the organisation I practice.This behaviour is by key stakeholders not employees. Fortunatly other stakeholders disagree and still support the cause. Point being key players are being influenced. It’s a disgrace. Would not be as bad if some of these topics were rebadged eg ” stamp out false compensation claims” Were all be tarred with the same brush.
Although I agree legislation should always be under review and sreamlined where possible, the PM has once again failed to seperate out the issues of litigation from actual Health and Safety regulations. He just lumps everything under the tabloids ‘elf n safety’ guise. Maybe he is taking his advice from The Sun!
I fear that this is his true Tory ideology coming through, long gone is his ‘caring conservatism’. We are now back to his true colours help the rich and let the workers pay the price.
Nigel, when I emailed Chris Grayling I asked him what this so called Common Sense is? No reply yet!
However surely not all humans act in the same way or percieve risk in the same way? It depends on our individual knowledge, experience, intellegence, training and upbringing. Therefore it is not ‘common’ it is ‘individual’ by definition. Most of us know not to run in the road without looking but only because our parents taught us not to. Even so people still get run over!
What stupid misguided inane comments. Get real man, there are people dying out there. I know, I am one of the regulators who try to educate your cronies into taking sensible steps to ensure the employees go home at night uninjured and still in one piece. People who make these commnets should come out and look at employees who have been run over FLTs, look at those who have fallen through skylights. Talk to the families who are left behind. I have to. Let me do my job.
So Bob are you advocating a return to large numbers of manual workers with ‘slipped discs’ or should employers manage the risk better as is the case in UK? Perhaps DSE does not kill but Carpal Tunnel is certainly a serious condition often caused by a lack of information or suitable working environment. Perhaps you think these are not serious issues, or do you see everything as a ‘miner’ issue?
Perhaps the Prime Minister would also be happy to personally visit the families of the 50 to 70 UK construction workers killed every year and explain why he wants to reduce Health & Safety red tape!
An excellent speech and excellent proposals from our Prime Minister, David has hit the nail on the head, I just hope his proposals come to fruition, he can do for H&S what the Right Honerable Mrs. Margaret Thatcher did to the unions, her sterling work in this area gave power back to the employer. less beurocracy, less paperwork, free up safety professionals get them out from behind the desk, into the real world get their hands dirty, and get real risk addressed.
I am alarmed at all the negative comments on here and am very very scared for the employees whose safety the posters are responsible for, if these individuals seriously believe the companys they work for will suddenly pull the plug on safety then they are not fit to call themselves “safety professionals” and should seriously think of a career change. Or is it just once again left wing posturing and alarmism, its like being back in the good old days of the 70`s and 80`s tory bashing years.
paul if that is the company you work for id change my job fella, or is this just another left wing generalism? Im suprised no one has yet blamed the bankers for the crisis in H&S
Some of the most disgraceful remarks I have ever heard from a prime minister, however he does seem to excell himself in the disgraceful remark stakes. We should expect no more from a tory led government. I am amazed that the population had the wool pulled over it’s eyes and voted for this government, they deserve what they are about to receive.
I agree with Mick on this issue on the case for terminology, I will be lobbying to my local conservative MP on this headline issue.
It realy is a shame that Mr Cameron has nothing better to do than attack Health and Safety when thousands of people are still being injured at work and still nothing is done to prevent this, how laws being striped to the bone allowing buisneses small and large to continue to flaunt no responsibility to staff who work for them and allow to continualy suffer injury at work, be exposed to chemicals and asbestos with no fear of acountability or reprisal this I find Mr Cameron appaling shame on you.
Carpal Tunnel syndrome, tenosynovitis and impaired vision because an employer won’t spend more than £10 on a chair or decent lighting and keeps an office worker chained to their desk for 8 or more hours with no breaks? Heavy labour causes lifelong injuries and manual workers often do not live as long after retirement as their office based colleagues and often suffer through most of it. African mining eh? That’s an industry well known for looking after it’s manual workers.
If he had had a close member of his family or a friend injured or killed by the inactions of an employer he may have a different opinion
Seems as if Cameron is itching to “do something”!
However, he has rejected the only way that the bonkers conkers stories will end.
For the HSE to control Public Sector health & safety.
For alas, THAT is where people with little real concept of how H&S law works are writing procedures on “Wellness”, school trips and office chairs.
Schools (3 legged race banned due to fear of kids tripoping) are an example of where Mr Cameron should look to get the maximum effect.
Sound byte before sense!
Cameron clearly has no concept of the implications of his stance and to specifically decry having a health and safety culture beggars belief. He’s either so ill-advised in not knowing the significance of the very words ‘safety culture’ or utterly repugnant.
He needs to understand that a good safety culture is indicative of a developed and caring society. I trust that Chmiel will be meeting with Cameron to put him straight.
Very unhelpful comments. I wonder who Mr. Cameron takes his advice from, one would hope that the advice giver has no experience or qualifications in the area.
I sympathise with IOSH regarding the PM’s attention seeking approach. This is no doubt driven by yet another perception of reality or as a result of persuasion by those parties and voting groups who choose to see H&S as a burden. In truth it is how you manage H&S that counts. I believe all H&S Professionals can see scope for further reduction in legislation, however the litigious culture of ambulance chasers is the real cause of alleged “problems” concerning costs of complying with HS&W.
This is scary; he doesn’t understand what H&S culture actually means. No wonder IOSH and most H&S professionals are appalled at the comment. It fuels the fire of negative press reporting on H&S…..
I respectfully disagree that health and safety legislation is a ‘Monster’
As a safety practitioner with strong ethical and moral standards, I feel that health and safety is about common sense, both in respect of the application of the law, and the interpretation of it.
If anything has to change, then the guidance given as to its interpretation has be simplified and clarified, and the mechanisms for dealing with personal injury claims taken out of the lawyers hands to a central body.
As “Call me Dave” has highlighted, 2012 is about the Olympics. Yes, the event that has had vast amounts of money spent on – OH MY GOD – H&S. This has meant so far it has been on time, on budget, and no one has had a serious injury. Please can Lawrence Waterman take this opportunity and explain tothe PM what real H&S Culture is all about, and compare our Olympic build with the absolute disaster of the Greek Olympics a few years ago – From memory tens of workers were killed and hundreds injured
Totally inept and his advisors should be sacked. This is another clear statement and demonstration of someone who is not a safety professional talking about something that he obviously knows nothing about. Mr cameron and his advisors obviously miss the point that each and every employer has a moral responsibilbity to protect their workforce and people potentially getting hurt through employer negligence or otherwise while trying to earn a living is not acceptable. Great leadership Mr Cameron !!!
As a professional Environment, Health & Safety Manager with over 10 years experience with a broad range of academic & professional qualifications under my belt I would justy like to make this comment regardingt he comments made by the prime minister.
Well I am in favour in making Health & safety leglisation clearer for buisness and improving the claim culture – his comments are clearly out of sink with reality and really has shown very little or no regard for workplace safety
This is just another example of a Whitehall politician playing with a topic he believes will stand him in good stead with the public and disregarding the actual problem. A good H&S culture is what will turn Britain into a safe and productive place to work but I fail to see what capping an amount a solicitor earns has to do with H&S.
Maybe, Mr Prime minister, you should have had the survey carried out by a committed H&S professional with a track record, rather than a government crony.
I recall that the Health & Safety Act, 1974 was designed and implemented for very
good reasons and has been ruined by wrongful behaviour of people
exploiting it. Cut out the misbehaviour by all means but do not threaten the usefulness and beneficial effects that we genuine workers enjoy. That is a breach of our civil rights.
Jack Edwards.
I see from the multitude of responses, health and safety seems to be a good target at the moment. I personally feel it would be good for the government to focus on the big monster that controls us all-the banking system and excessive bonuses rather than suggesting we should weaken the legislation that makes it safer for us to do the day to day grind without having to face unseen dangers or have to deal with the outfall from an accident at work that the rest of the family feel as well. keep safe
This is really sickening in a way, it is a prime example of profit being allowed to outweigh health and safety, good god we are going back to the early seventies, Mr. Cameron should remember that the law as we all know only requires one to do what is reasonably practicable, that statement is the balance he is missing, he is indicating that safety needs to be abandoned to allow companies to make more money to boost the economy and at the risk of endangering the workers lives that earn the money.
The PM is living back in the early seventies where health and safety was second to profits, if he really thinks that slacking the health and safety laws of this country will boost the economy then he is in the wrong profession and on the wrong side of the house. As for the earlier comment on Tory bashing, if you are in support of the PM’s comments then it is you who is in the wrong profession not us sir. risking the lives of the people who work to boost the economy is far from good economics
Popularist spouting and political posturing. There are some safety practioners that over egg the pudding, but there are far more small business people that don’t bother to inform themselves properly and simply listen to Daily Mail rubbish. Probably the same source of information for Cameron
There are many within our industry who do take things far too far (so to speak). I sit among my peers cringing frequently. I come from an operational background, I entered this profession to help rather than to compare manhood size.
The Prime Minister is being vidnicated by those that want to compare initials after their name
I think it is the wise most decision of government and health fitness advisor. We all should appreciate these steps, beneficial for us. We all should stand with the government