IOSH president Ray Hurst has hit out at the continuing use of health and safety as an ‘easy excuse’. Ray said that media reports had alleged a flood of bans, ranging from dustbin men lifting bins, to bunting and monkey puzzle trees. The latest example was East Midlands Trains blaming health and safety reasons for refusing to let a disabled passenger with his mobility scooter onto a train.
Ray said that this signified people’s desire “to take the easy way out rather than come up with sensible solutions”.
“It seems to me that people, and organisations, are all too ready to ban things on health and safety grounds because they believe it’s too difficult to find the solution. They hear about big, bad health and safety, get frightened because they believe they might be sued or face spiralling costs, and decide it’s easier not to do it.
“But that’s not what health and safety is about. Professional health and safety advisers are here to help find cost-effective and sensible solutions to problems. We’re not out to ban people’s fun, but we are here to ensure people get work done safely and healthily.”
Ray added: “In all of the examples we’ve seen recently, whether it be the bunting banned at Hatfield Broad Oak, the mortarboards at Anglia Ruskin University, or refusing to let the disabled passenger and his scooter onto a train, there appears to have been a misunderstanding that health and safety is about stopping things. Done properly, that’s not the case.
“The common factor is that health and safety professionals are often not consulted on these decisions. So please ‘get the best’ advice and seek out professional health and safety guidance before saying ‘for health and safety reasons we can’t do this’. You never know, we might be able to help you do what you want to do in a safe and cost-effective way!”
Having been abroad, working on a major construction site, I was recently informed of a comment in SHP regarding a monkey puzzle tree. I carried out this risk assessment on behalf of Swansea City Council, with a professional Arborist at the site of a new Primary School. We concluded that as the tree was in a poor state and the sharp syringe like needles were scattered by the prevailing wind over the playground and main access, that it was sensible to remove the tree during the construction phase.