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Negative image of h & s
Negative image of health and safety
The facts
- In recent years we've seen the emergence and growth of 'elf
& safety' myths – crazy stories that have nothing much to do
with 'real' health and safety, but more to do with liability
aversion.
- The term is now a 'catch-all label' under which anything seen
as 'nannying' is put, with stories tending to involve the public,
leisure activities or children.
- 'Real' health and safety, on the other hand, is about saving
lives and preventing serious injury and illness at work.
Tragically, in 2010-2011
171 workers were killed (provisional figure); an estimated 1,000
died in work-related road traffic accidents; and thousands more
died from occupational cancers.
- IOSH and others are concerned that the crazy stories can have a
negative effect on public perception; make people less receptive to
real health and safety messages; and cause confusion about the
sensible, reasonable steps that the law actually requires.
- This growth in negative coverage has coincided with TV
advertising of 'no win, no fee' personal injury claim firms, which
seem to have raised some people's fears of being sued and made them
defensive in their decisions. A research study
found decision-makers themselves believed the top two solutions to
preventing over-cautious decisions were definitive guidance and
access to professional advice.
- Negative media portrayal was listed by health and safety
professionals as one of the top three issues currently facing the
profession in a recent
survey.
Our position
- IOSH thinks these crazy stories are generally the result of
misguided people who haven't taken professional advice and have
made up the rules themselves. Others seem to be inaccurately
reported or confused with things such as security, political
correctness or civil liability issues. All of which, brings
occupational safety and health unfairly into disrepute.
- So, we're calling for a more 'risk intelligent' society,
needing widespread education about what health and safety law
really requires and better access to good advice and guidance.
- We're also doing all we can to make sure our own house is in
order, including achieving Chartered status, requiring members to
do initial / continuing professional development, pressing for the
accreditation of consultants and working with the Department of
Work and Pensions to upskill our members on return to work
issues.
- We believe others should join us in helping debunk the negative
stories and that perhaps insurers or the legal profession could do
more on this. We'd also like
to see more positive publicity about the benefits and business case
for good health and safety at local and national levels.
- Left unchallenged, we believe all this current negativity could
undermine and trivialise real health and safety; be harmful to
families, employers and the economy; and contribute to the creation
of a 'risk averse' society, in which people can't differentiate
minor and major risks.
Relevant IOSH consultation responses