Sutton Council supports end to health and safety ‘myths’ (From Your Local Guardian)

Sutton Council supports end to health and safety ‘myths’

8:10am Thursday 6th November 2008

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A campaign for sensible approaches to health and safety issues has been signed by Sutton Council.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) 10-point sensible risk agenda attempts to combat the "myths’’ undermining health and safety legislation.

Sutton Council’s move follows last year’s debacle when a traditional Remembrance Sunday cannon salute was banned after health and safety fears.

This month the council confirmed the maroon rockets, fired at the beginning and end of the two-minute’s silence, would be reinstated.

Sutton’s strategic director of environment and leisure Daniel Ratchford said: "Protecting the health and safety of our workers and the community we represent has always been a crucial issue for us.

"Over time, the stories of health and safety gone mad has undermined the good work we and other local authorities do to protect people here in the region."

The HSE campaign says sensible risk management should include: providing overall benefit to society by balancing benefits and risks and enabling innovation and learning – not stifling them.

It should not include: creating a totally risk-free society, generating useless paperwork mountains, scaring people by exaggerating or publicising trivial risks and stopping activities for individuals where the risks are managed.

Sutton opposition health spokesman Councillor Stuart Gordon-Bullock, who worked for the HSE during his career as a civil servant, said: "Far too often people use health and safety as an excuse for not doing something when there are no real health and safety objections.

"All this merely adds unnecessary costs to industry and to people, who like me had to straighten things out.

"Sutton Council signing up to this approach, run jointly with the HSE, on sensible risk management is very welcome."

HSE regional director for London Steven Williams said: "Turn your mind from the saloon bar stories about supposedly banning conkers or putting up Christmas decorations and look at the stark reality: too many people have lost their lives or been injured in London.

"Tackling this is what real health and safety is all about."

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