Health and safety regulation: ‘red tape’ or ‘thin blue line’

Safety & Health Practitioner

Last night (4 November) saw The University of Reading hosting a lecture, delivered by Professor Paul Almond, which examined the public’s attitude towards health and safety, in a time where newspapers are constantly talking of ‘health and safety gone mad’. 

 

The lecture, covered many key topics, but mainly strived to look at the balance of how to meet the public’s demands for accountability and risk control alongside meeting their demands to combat an over reaction to health and safety. 

 

The free-to-attend lecture, analysed some of the most high profile media stories; of goggle wearing conker players and ‘dangerous’ hanging baskets and looked at the real reason behind any safety measures actually taken. 

 

Using the high visibility tabard as an example, Professor Almond looked at the way health and safety is perceived — from conformity to fear and precautionary to over reaction. 

 

He also discussed the positive aspects of health and safety in the UK in 2013, following an unprecedented health and safety record set in the Olympic build, and the safety ensured by the games makers — of which the British public were incredibly proud. 

 

Looking at statistics from when records began until present day, Professor Almond proved that we now live in a safer time than ever before, and not in a time of over inspection, as there were fewer inspections in 2012 than in the early years of the industrial revolution. 

 

In conclusion, Professor Almond said that we need to strive for a more participatory system to ensure that we can engage meaningfully with health, safety and social citizenship. We need laws which speak more clearly, better publicity around real cases, greater ground level involvement and better overall education to allow us to make better decisions and support health and safety. 

 

More information about free public lectures at the University of Reading can be found here: University of Reading’s public lecture page.