Quote me
IOSH gets its message across…
The Independent
IOSH Chief Executive Rob Strange wrote to the
Independent about how negative ‘Elf ‘n’ Safety’ stories in
the media are affecting the public’s understanding of health and
safety. He said:
“Last year the Daily Mail ran, on
average, at least one negative health and safety story every week.
The Richard Littlejohn column has been particularly acerbic…to the
point of making it up.
“But lately, things have taken a more
worrying turn. As we approach an election, we’ve started to see
health and safety become a political punch bag.
“Most readers, I would hope, can see that
stories are grossly exaggerated, or that daft decisions are taken
to bypass making the effort to organise something properly.
“You wouldn’t know it from reading our
newspapers but Britain has seen an 81 per cent fall in workplace
deaths and a 72 per cent fall in other reported workplace injuries
over the past 35 years. We benefit from having one of the best
safety records in Europe.”
HR Review
Rob also made the case for health and safety at the IOSH 10
conference and exhibition in Glasgow on 24 and 25 March. He
said:
“It’s no secret that these are challenging
times for our industry. As we emerge from the recession, it’s more
important now than ever to show employers the true value that
competent health and safety professionals can bring to their
business. Our profession is facing media hostility, tightening
budgets and, with a UK General Election coming soon, a changing
political environment. But those challenges have also brought us
opportunities to drive the debate forward, and really make the case
for good health and safety.”
Abeceder (a health and safety
website)
Lord Young gave a keynote speech at IOSH 10 where he encouraged
IOSH to lobby for regulatory powers. Rob responded:
“IOSH has for five years now been at the
forefront of calling for accreditation of health and safety
consultants, winning political backing, and has led sustained calls
for clarity over what qualifies as ‘competent’ health and safety
advice.”
Liverpool Echo
International Workers’ Memorial Day takes place every year on 28
April. IOSH President John Holden had this to say:
“It’s an opportunity to remember those whose
lives have been needlessly cut short by their work, and to reflect
on the loss suffered by their families.
“Health and safety is not just the preserve
of ‘experts’. It’s a team effort, and if one underperforms the
consequences can be dire for others.”
BBC Radio Essex
Former IOSH President Ray Hurst spoke to BBC Radio
Essex about risk assessments and the public perception of
health and safety. He said:
“Risk assessments don’t have to be
complicated or generate lots of work. People are starting to
believe that health and safety stops you from doing things, but in
some cases this is a pure misunderstanding, or deliberate, as some
employers may use health and safety as an excuse not to do
something.
“There is also a perception that if you do
things wrong then you will get sued. This has mainly been generated
by the adverts seen on television. If you look at the facts, the
claims haven’t gone up over the years, they’ve remained constant,
but people’s perceptions that they will be sued if they do anything
remotely risky is what drives people to say: ‘No, we won’t do
that.’”