Councils and other organisations are using health and safety as a ‘cop out’ says the Health and Safety Executive; the executive has published a list of what it says were the 10 most “bizarre bans” on health and safety grounds over the past year.

The BBC reports:

They include bans on kite flying on a beach, sack races for children and pins used to secure commemorative poppies.

But experts have warned of many cases where risks are underappreciated.

The HSE said complying with health and safety regulations was often used as a “convenient excuse” for organisations to justify unnecessary decisions.

Among examples on its list were a school’s decision to ban football games unless the ball was made of sponge, and a ban on street parties to mark the royal wedding in April.

‘Undermining confidence’

The most high-profile case it cites was the decision by the Wimbledon tennis authorities to stop showing television coverage of a key game on a big screen on “Henman Hill” – a popular vantage point where crowds have congregated for years to watch matches.

The decision, taken because of concerns about safety conditions after hours of heavy rain and poor visibility, led to a row between the watchdog and organisers The All England Lawn Tennis Club.

The HSE also questioned the rules for dodgem rides after reports in April that Butlins had banned people bumping into each other at its Skegness holiday camp on health and safety grounds…

In response to the HSE report, employment minister Chris Grayling said members of the public should “challenge health and safety myths” and overzealous practices.

“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,” he said.

“This has to stop. The law does not require this to happen – people must be encouraged to use their common sense.”

One health and safety expert said the law required people to approach risks in a balanced and proportionate manner.

“Overzealousness about trivial risks gives health and safety a bad name but there are actually many more cases where people are under-hitting,” said Roger Bibbings, occupational safety adviser for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Good health and safety practice was all about “exercising judgement”, he added.

To read the full article on the BBC website, view HERE.