SHP Says Chris Grayling Statement Is Watershed For Health And Safety Legislation

Readers of the Safety and Health Practitioner’s latest news release may well be forgiven for thinking that the Government’s attack on health and safety at work legislation was over. But is that the case, asks Unionsafety.

Following the HSE’s release of it’s Top Ten list of H&S Myths yesterday, 23rd August, the SHP today reports that Chris Grayling and the government are showing signs of “finally ‘seeing sense’ and commenting that “the minister conceded that it is misconceptions about and misapplication of health and safety legislation – rather than the laws themselves, or health and safety professionals – that have contributed to its negative image.”

It quotes Chris Grayling:

“We have seen an epidemic of excuses wrongly citing health and safety as a reason to prevent people from doing pretty harmless things with only very minor risks attached. This has to stop. The law does not require this to happen – people must be encouraged to use their common sense.

Health and safety laws exist to provide important safeguards against people being seriously injured, or made unwell at work and should not hamper everyday activities. These regulations are intended to save lives, not stop them.”

The SHP article continues:

"The minister went on to blame “middle managers in councils and companies [hiding] unpopular decisions behind health and safety legislation” for diluting common sense and urged people to challenge such dubious decisions, wherever possible."

But is that the same as supporting existing health & safety at work legislation? Many think not!

Derek Maylor, Chair of the NW BTU Health & Safety Co-ord told Unionsafety:

“A lot of what Chris Grayling has said was previously stated by him prior to the setting up of the Health & Safety Review. The media seem only just to have caught up with that fact. As an example the SHP article quotes Grayling from a letter he sent April this year to Butlins in response to a bumper car ban.”

Derek added:

“Appearing reasonable in one’s argument does not make you right, and Chris Grayling has said absolutely nothing about supporting existing Health & Safety regulation. In reality his recent refusal to meet with FACK an organisation representing families bereaved by work place deaths, says more about his true intentions.”

In response to the publication by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of Chris Grayling's April 2011 letter to Butlin's, a Hazards Campaign spokesperson said:

"The first piece of hard evidence published from workplace health and safety's nemesis, employment minister Chris Grayling, undermines the whole basis for his attacks on workplace health and safety by showing it's not our health and safety laws or over-zealous enforcement by health and safety cops or "gold plating" EU directives that lead to some of the well publicised "bonkers conkers" decisions.

"In his published letter to Butlin's regarding their decision to ban bumping bumper cars he clearly recognises it is operational decisions taken by employers themselves under no pressure from the state, the law or its enforcement bodies. In the Butlin's case the decision in all likelihood was taken to lessen the potential risk of being sued - which has nothing to do with workplace health and safety.

"It's time for Grayling to come clean and admit his and the Tory attacks on workplace health and safety provisions are based on ideology rather than reality.

He must stop his attacks on our legal framework, recognise the real cost of workplace health and safety failures to society and who is responsible. It is criminally negligent employers who kill, maim, disable, injure and make unwell many thousands of workers every year costing the UK economy £32 billion annually and the cuts to the HSE and its enforcement regime must be reversed."

Chris Ingram, Editor Unionsafety website said:

"It is quite sinister to see that the media are now trotting out an old letter from Chris Grayling as if it is a sudden change in stance and appearing to show Grayling in a more reasonable and positive stance on health and safety at work.

Even a half deaf vampire bat could spot the fact that this is all part of the Government's campaign, with media complicity, to make his soon to be delivered decimation of workplace health & safety legislation appear acceptable and reasonable to a public already reeling from massive job cuts, and the reduction of welfare and public services."

However, IOSH Head of policy and public affairs, Richard Jones, appears to be one who believes this is now a turning point in the Government and Grayling's stance on health and safety. He told SHP:

“We’re delighted that the Government has listened and is joining our fight to tackle the health and safety myths that have sadly tarnished real health and safety. We think this statement by the minister represents an important watershed in putting the record straight about real health and safety – highlighting that it’s only when it’s misinterpreted and misapplied that there are problems.

Good health and safety is about saving lives, supporting business and enterprise, and sustaining the economy. We think better education and government promotion of the sensible steps the law really requires should help debunk all this nonsense once and for all.”

He may well be in the minority.

HSE’s Top Ten list of H&S Myths can be viewed here

But are all the myth's listed actually based on true media myths about H&S?
See Channel 4 News Factcheck article here

Source: SHP / HSE / Hazards Campaign

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