Has common sense gone out of the window?

[Loosehead]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorks hire/7227897.stm
I think we all agree that health and safety is a good thing generally but is it getting ridiculous? Do you think "ambulance chasing" lawyers have got us to this stage? or perhaps the health and safety mafia have over-reached themselves into the ridiculous? Should we just take the risk of minor accidents occurring or wrap everyone in cotton wool?

[ludwig]

Partly the fault of ambulance chasing lawyers, but also there's plenty of Health and Safety jobsworths out there who'd be doing their utmost to prevent this kind of thing whether there was a risk of litigation or not - for our own good of course.

[Quinlad]

I find it funny that the people who complain about the proliferation of health and safety laws and petty litigation tend to be the exact same people who got us to this state in the first place - by demanding that heads roll and someone is to blame whenever anything goes against them.

[ludwig]

Well let me be the first to apologise for the part I played in getting us into this state in the first place. I didn't mean it.

[jno]

the lawyers wouldn't get any work if the valiant British public didn't hire them whenever little Johnny grazed his knee. But people want recompense for anything that goes wrong in their lives these days, and if the Ripon councillors think their ratepayers shouldn't have to carry the can, who can blame them? How would you feel if your council took out insurance against this sort of thing and had to incorporate it into your rate bill?

[jake-the-peg]

Let's have a look at these Health and safety issues:

1 - They have to have the road closed - is that ridiculous?
2 - They have to have some medical cover, St. John's ambulance or the like - outrageous?
3 - They need to have a risk assessment - in otherwords they have to think about what might go wrong

These are not outrageous demands

Sounds most likely that it's simply been cancelled because they're not willing to pay �250 to close the road

[sp1214]

What did you do Ludwig to get us into this state?

[123everton]

From what I understand of the issue the problem arises largely out of the demands of the insurers,
Health and safety has become a cheap cop out for any matter deemed contentious, even down to the wearing of a ring on ones finger.

[tigerlily11]

Why didn't they just go ahead and do it. its about time we put our collective foot down and told the morons where to go. What are they going to do. Arrest us all.
All thats is need is an understanding that people take part at their own risk. If anything happens no suing.
They already nobbled the conker fights. Whats next. No Easter egg hunts.

[vehelpfulguy]

Every year in my local town (part of solihull) they have a rememberance day parade.

The local high street is closed and local groups such as the british legion, scouts, air cadets etc march to the local war memorial and have a service and lay some wreaths.

This year, for some reason the police or council (nobody could find out who) decided high street would NOT be closed, which curtailed the parade and meant traffic was driving past during the service.

I guess everyone was in a hurry to do their shopping and could nto bear to give up 30 minutes for the war dead.

[ludwig]

sp1214 - I always demanded that heads roll and that someone else was to blame when anything went against me - apparently.

[Quinlad]

I don't remember directing that comment at you, ludwig. Clearly, it's touched a nerve though.

[matt1e]

what about the two cpos that stood by and watched a 10 year old boy drown while saving his 6yr old sister in waist deep water? because they hadnt been trained? - yes common sense has definitely gone out the window