Too Much Health & Safety in the UK?
Posted by Jonathan Pile on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
We recently asked a group of employees this question : "Do you think there is too much Health and Safety in the UK?" - the results were illuminating.
We think that given nearly all media coverage of workplace Health and Safety in the Press, on TV and Ministerial Press Statements has been negative about Health and Safety the above results are not as surprising as many would feel.
Yet when we discussed things further with group many had completely different attitudes towards other types of Safety provision. Road Safety, First Aid, Airline Safety and Fire Safety were all considered as more important than workplace safety.
Why was this? - could the successful Safety Campaigns have something to do with it? - When the group was asked to recall past safety campaigns - not one Workplace Safety campaign was recollected from the past 40 years , while many could recall Road Safety campaigns such as Clunk Click, the Green Cross Code Man, Speed Kills, Don't Drink and Drive from as far back as 1971.
The Health and Safety Executive has not spent a significant part of it's budget on Television Advertising to run a Workplace Safety campaign to underline the importance of workplace safety and why safety law exists.
In other countries, such as Canada and the United States they do make and screen TV ads in campaigns supporting health and safety with great effect.
We showed the group 1 advert from the US and 1 from Canada and asked the same question
A dramatic difference and a 100% change of attitude about Health and Safety in the UK.
SCREENED VIDEOS
The Chef (WSIB Canada) - Warning Graphic Content
Journey to Safety Excellence (NSC USA)