Too many people use health and safety as an excuse
Too many people use health and safety as an excuse to hide behind, the Chair of the HSE has warned.
Judith Hackitt made the comments in a letter to Lord Young welcoming his review and offering to help gather evidence for his inquiry.
The PM has appointed Lord Young to lead a review of health and safety law and practice; he will examine the compensation culture too for a report to the PM in the summer.
In her letter, Judith Hackitt wrote:
“The terms of reference of your review extend beyond HSE’s remit, which is concerned with addressing real risks and preventing death, injury and ill health to those at work and those affected by work related activities. However, we have been saying for some time that health and safety is being used by too many as a convenient excuse to hide behind. Often health and safety is invoked to disguise someone’s real motives – concerns over costs or complexity, or an unwillingness to honestly defend an unpopular decision.
HSE continues to champion a sensible and proportionate approach to dealing with risks in the workplace – not eliminating them from all aspects of life.
If your company hasn’t got a sensible & proportionate approach to health & safety, why not invite me for to carry out a FREE M.O.T. – call Andrew on 07870 777303 today to arrange a coffee, I’ll bring the biscuits
