Jul 5 2007
Brent Council today signed up to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) campaign to combat the growing number of myths that are undermining important health and safety legislation.
The authority’s Chief Executive, Gareth Daniel joined Geoffrey Podger, HSE Chief Executive and Paul Coen, Chief Executive of the Local Government Association (LGA), to publicly sign up to ‘ten principles of sensible risk management’ which give organisations practical advice on what risk management should – and should not be about.
Geoffrey Podger, HSE Chief Executive said:
"We’ve all heard the stories about health and safety banning hanging baskets or making children wear goggles to play conkers. This is not what we are about – it is not what HSE wants, not what Brent council wants and not what the law requires.
"We want to focus our attention on practical steps that protect people from real risks that can lead to injury and death, we do not want to stop people from living their lives."
He continued,
"I call on all Local Authorities to follow the lead of the London Borough of Brent and join with us in tackling this issue by publicly ‘signing up to sensible risk’. Together we can embed these principles into our working culture and ensure the decisions we make focus on the real task of saving lives."
London Borough of Brent is one of the first local authorities to commit to a proportionate and focused approach to risk management. Chief Executive Gareth Daniel said,
"Protecting the health and safety of our workers and the community we represent has always been a crucial issue for us. Over time the stories of health and safety gone mad has undermined the good work we and other councils do to protect vulnerable members of society."
He continued,
"We are proud to be one of the first councils to sign up to protecting our workers and community through sensible health and safety policies and commit to focusing on saving lives not bureaucratic back covering."