Health and Safety Commissioner calls for common sense approach to Health and Safety at Swansea conference - 20 June 2007

Wales-based Health and Safety Commissioner Sandy Blair has told organisations that they need to manage risks sensibly and not use health and safety to justify unpopular decisions.

Speaking at the annual Swansea and South Wales Health and Safety Group seminar, Mr Blair explained that it is not realistic to eliminate risk altogether and that the health and safety of workers must be protected by correctly identifying risks and managing them sensibly and proportionately.

He said: "According to some stories, health and safety is an albatross around the neck of Britain, concentrating on trivial risks and petty bureaucracy, to the detriment of citizens.

"If you believe everything you read, it bans simple things from doormats to Christmas decorations, whilst making trapeze artists wear hard hands and children enjoying a game of conkers wear goggles but many of these stories are complete myths"

He added, "The truth of the matter is that the work of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and their partner regulators in local government, has saved the lives of thousands of workers while preventing ill health and injury in many more besides."

He continued, "HSE is about saving, lives not stopping them."

Mr Blair also praised the Welsh Assembly Government's "Welsh Backs" campaign, which is being run jointly with the Health and Safety Executive, and aims to encourage those suffering from back pain to continue with normal day to day activities as a more effective way of managing the problem than going to bed.

"Public awareness of the need to stay active and self manage back pain has increased by 25%. Workshops and awareness raising events have so far attracted more than 500 delegates."

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