• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • BIGGEST COLLECTION of WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Psychosocial Safety
    • Resiliencing
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychosocial Safety
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety
      • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
      • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
      • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
      • What is Psychosocial Safety
      • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
      • What is Psychological Safety?
      • Understanding Psychological Terminology
      • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
      • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
      • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / Risk Aversion / Health and Safety myths debunked

Health and Safety myths debunked

January 9, 2014 by Admin 1 Comment

Health and Safety myths debunked

Guest Post from one of our UK based authors

Graduate - Confused by Career ChoicesEveryone has a story about a health and safety rule which is affecting them at work or they have read about in the newspapers. They are rarely entirely accurate and sometimes don’t have even a kernel of truth in them, having been made up by a journalist short of a story. Some of them, however, have gone on to reach almost mythical status and can cause problems for companies, individuals and institutions – sometimes far more trouble than they would have caused had they been true. The problem when assessing the accuracy of health and safety myths is that everyone feels they must err on the side of caution, for fear that their action (or lack of it) could have serious consequences. Some of the most enduring stories are those involving the safety of children, perhaps because everyone feels that children can’t make decisions or look after themselves, so they need legislation and an adult to do it for them.

Conkers are banned

This is clearly nonsense as any two children who have a mind to can string a couple of horse chestnuts on string and play in their own homes or gardens. The story springs from one involving a head teacher who banned them in the playground unless the children were wearing safety goggles, knuckle protectors and other gear – the story does vary. Obviously teachers can’t allow children to hurt each other deliberately, by using conkers or any other weapon, but stopping them playing sensibly is not in the teachers’ remit. Teachers are in loco parentis when working and must just take all reasonable care – in other words, the care a normal level of parenting would require – to ensure that children are kept safe. Stories similar to this cover giving sweets to children – mostly Trick or Treat and children’s party situations. Although it obviously makes sense to tailor the kind of sweet to the age of the child and the situation – in other words, stick to sweets without an overt choking risk – again it is not ‘forbidden’ to give sweets to children. With any safety issue involving a minor, the rule of thumb should be to make sure that nothing you do is more risky than anything a reasonable parent would allow and to ask permission if that is feasible.

Ladders and steps are banned

The many adverts on television describing accidents at work have led to a perception in the public mind that all ladders and steps are banned in the workplace. This is clearly an impossible situation, because many jobs involve climbing and much of the day to day construction and renovation work, to name just one sector, would be impossible if workers were not allowed to leave ground level. The issue here is that leaving ground level much be made safe for everyone – for those on the ground subject to having things dropped on them as well as those climbing – and for this it is essential that an employer provides adequate training. There are mandatory responsibilities that all employers must take on board and using an affiliated trainer is vital because if an accident does occur then any shortfall in training will leave them liable for substantial damages which may not be met by insurance, if negligence can be proved. Sometimes a general working at height course is enough, but there are specific situations when a more specific training programme is needed – using any moving access equipment, for instance. There are dedicated ipaf training days which are useful for staff who use this type of equipment i.e. cherry pickers or powered access machines.

Risk assessments are mandatory for all tasks

Again, stories abound that staff are required to complete risk assessments for everyday tasks such as making coffee and sharpening a pencil. It is of course possible to write a risk assessment for any task and there are some common jobs that do need to be taken carefully and although a written risk assessment is not necessary, the need to alert people to possible dangers should be looked at in detail. Something that falls into this category is the provision and use of adequate warning signage – ‘Wet floor’ for example – and employing a very brief risk assessment to identify when it is used is all that is required. Sometimes, too much paperwork can be self-defeating, as no-one even bothers to read beyond the first paragraph.

The HSE can ban anything

The Health and Safety Executive has a watching brief but can also legislate within a company to ensure that the workplace is kept safe. They don’t ‘walk in’ (as it is often put in the Press) to close down a company because they are in breach of regulations. If there is a problem with health and safety in a particular situation there is of course a responsibility – usually the owner, but occasionally a council or other body – to get it put right, but unless the breach in conditions has been going on for a long time or there is an immediate and serious danger, the HSE will not summarily close down anywhere. Staff are able to report breaches of health and safety regulations to the HSE if their employers do not appear to be addressing an issue, but normally a discussion will put things right. During staff training sessions in correct use of equipment issues often come to light and a good employer will make sure that they listen to comments from staff on their return – this is a good way to make sure that the training is useful across the company and results in a safer working environment.

And finally – Graduates can’t throw their mortar boards in the air.

No – they can’t. These things cost money and throwing them in the air is bound to bend them, whether or not they take someone’s eye out! The HSE don’t mind at all what the graduate does with their mortar board – but the hire company might have a few things to say!

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Risk Aversion Tagged With: Health and Safety Policies, ladders, safety myths

Reader Interactions

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them belowCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,509 other subscribers.

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Recent Comments

  • Rob Long on The Blessings of Fallibility
  • Simon Cassin on The Blessings of Fallibility
  • Rob Long on Validating, Endorsing and Supporting Zero
  • Rob Long on The Global ‘Zero Event’, This is Safety
  • Rob Long on The Global ‘Zero Event’, This is Safety
  • Matthew Thorne on Validating, Endorsing and Supporting Zero
  • rosa a carrillo on The Global ‘Zero Event’, This is Safety
  • Matthew Thorne on The Global ‘Zero Event’, This is Safety
  • Rob Long on Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
  • Matt Thorne on Myth Making and Why it Matters to Safety
  • Rob Long on What’s Funny About Safety?
  • Rob Long on Perfection is Safety Child’s Play
  • Rosa Carrillo on Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
  • Brent Charlton on Perfection is Safety Child’s Play
  • Anonymous on What’s Funny About Safety?
  • Rob Long on Zero Hour part 6 Knowing Yourself
  • Rob Long on Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Rob Long on Book Launch – “Zero, The Great Safety Delusion” – Free Download
  • Rob long on Don’t Be Dumb Like Me, the Typical Safety Keynote
  • Anonymous on Don’t Be Dumb Like Me, the Typical Safety Keynote

RECOMMENDED READING

viral post – iso 45003 and what it cannot do

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

Psychosocial Safety and Mental Health Series

Have You Had a Drink of SafeTea?

If You Can’t Manage Fallibility, You’ll Never Tackle Psychosocial Health

Embodiment, Myth and Psychosocial Risk

7 Golden Rules that are NOT Golden

Why Zero Vision Can Never Tackle Mental Health

If Psychosocial Health Matters, Stop Hot Desking

Effective Strategies in Mental Health at Work

CLLR Newsletter July 2023

Playing With Mental Health in Safety is Dangerous

STOP ‘BREAKING’ PEOPLE! The notion of Psychological Safety

More Posts from this Category

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Footer

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • BIGGEST COLLECTION of WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • The Critical Outcome is to Improve Safety
  • Free Risk Assessment Template in Excel Format
  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
  • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS, CHECKISTS, REGISTERS, TEMPLATES and APPS
  • Safety Acronyms
  • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES

Recent Posts

  • The Critical Outcome is to Improve Safety
  • Zero is Founded on Deceit and Lies
  • Have You Had a Drink of SafeTea?
  • The Blessings of Fallibility
  • Safety as Zero, The Perfect Event
  • Validating, Endorsing and Supporting Zero
  • The Global ‘Zero Event’, This is Safety
  • If You Can’t Manage Fallibility, You’ll Never Tackle Psychosocial Health
  • Embodiment, Myth and Psychosocial Risk
  • Embodied Enactivity in Safety
  • The Meaning of Myth in Risk
  • Myth Making and Why it Matters to Safety
  • Icebreakers and Games that Safety Trainers Play
  • The Power of Safety Myths
  • What Do You Mean By Performance?
  • Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
  • Perfection is Safety Child’s Play
  • Podcast – Dr Rob Long With John Morlan and The Risk Matrix
  • What’s Funny About Safety?
  • Zero Hour part 6 Knowing Yourself
  • Free Videos, Podcasts and Books on Zero
  • Don’t Be Dumb Like Me, the Typical Safety Keynote
  • If You’re Happy in Safety, Clap Your Hands
  • Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Zero Hour Part 5 – Surfacing the Unconscious
  • Zero Hour Part 4 – Zero and the Unconscious
  • Auditing the 7 Golden Rules of Zero, A Miserable Fail
  • 7 Golden Rules that are NOT Golden
  • The Non-Golden Rules for Leadership in Zero
  • Seven ‘Golden’ Rules for Zero and Yet No Ethic
  • Why Zero Vision Can Never Tackle Mental Health
  • Is this Your Safety?
  • SPoR Workshops Canberra 18-21 September
  • The Dominance of Zero as the ‘Common Denominator’ of Safety
  • Zero Hour Episode 3
  • Goal Setting and Zero
  • Zero as a Worldview
  • If Psychosocial Health Matters, Stop Hot Desking
  • Book Launch – “Zero, The Great Safety Delusion” – Free Download
  • Breach of Faith and Psycho-Social Risk
  • Zero Harm is Never Zero Harm
  • Why Would You Want to be a Safety “Geek’ or Hero?
  • The Mental Illness of Identifying as Safety
  • Zero Hour – Zero as a place holder
  • Zero Hour – Zero as a Philosophy
  • CARING ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
  • Care is NOT a Factor and Yes, Your Model Matters
  • Care Ethics and the Ethics of Care, in Risk
  • FEAR AND CONTROL – Dialogue in a technological society
  • Of Course, Method Matters in Safety

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

Human Dymensions Newsletter September 2016

Anchoring Safety to Objects

Mental Health, Risk and Safety – Part 2

Gestures in Risk Management – A Podcast

Zero Vision but Purchase Insurance

Science and Acts of Faith in Safety

Day 11 SPoR in Europe

Cultivating Resilience

The Ethics of Safety

Study The Psychology of Risk

Doing Something Bad Well

Counter Intuitive Safety

Take Safety Seriously

Free Poster–What is Safety

You Don’t Want a Compliance Culture

The Advisor as Skilled Helper

Ethics, Morality and an Ethic of Risk

The Safety Worldview and the Worldview of Safety, Testing Due Diligence

Social Sensemaking – Free eBook

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF RISK – INTRODUCTION WORKSHOP

Tackling Risk, A Field Guide to Risk and Learning

Utopian Language and the Quest for Perfection in Safety

Who is Responsible?

What Does SPoR Do?

Second Student Group Social Psychology of Risk

I Just Want Clear Answers

Zero Suicide and the Discourse of Denial

Personhood and Risk

Introduction to The Social Psychology of Risk – Free Online Module

There is Nothing more Imaginative We can Do in Safety

Culture Silences in Safety – Critical Thinking

Just Tell Your Mind to Stop It

Right Then Children, Sit Up Straight and Take Some Safety

Freedom in Necessity

Due Diligence Workshop Sydney 20,21 February 2019

Safety Utopia as Abuse

Envisioning and Creativity in Safety

Safety is not Just a Choice

Framing Your World

Hoodwinked by Heinrich

More Posts from this Category

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,509 other subscribers.

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?


WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SAFETY