Health and safety is a minefield with hundreds of rules and regulations. The media often jump at the chance to slate health & safety for having gone mad. However, we know from the last article that we shouldn’t always believe what we read in the news. There are many claims that amount to MYTHS, and nothing more.
If you haven’t seen the last top 5 you can visit that here: TOP 5 HEALTH AND SAFETY MYTHS PEOPLE STILL BELIEVE.
Banning School Leaver’s Parties
Banning school leaver’s parties due to health and safety is a common myth, which pops up every year. Many claim that these parties should stop children from attending unless a parent supervises their child.
However, excluding the reasons that the school might have such as funding, volunteers, etc. There is NO immediate reason as to why a school would cancel a party due to health and safety. Very specifically HSE in the UK only cover work activity. A party would fall under a social event and therefore would not fall under HSE jurisdictions.
Children MUST wear socks in soft play areas
Although a common myth, the idea of wearing socks in a soft play centre on a mandatory basis can be seen as being overboard. It is true that wearing socks can help to reduce the chance of infections from things such as warts and verrucas, however it is not required by HSE.
In fact there is no specific Health and Safety regulations in the UK that require children to wear socks. That being said, the centre itself may require your child to under its own policies. It is best to always check with management before proceeding.
Banning people from charging electronics in public places
Places like libraries and coffee shops are a great place to catch on work via your laptop. Some people however are under the impression that people are not allowed to charge their electronic devices in public due to health and safety risks. This is however a complete myth. A scenario where this may stand is if the premises have a policy denying this permission. There is no other reason under current health and safety law why you should not be able to charge your device.
Banning kettles in the workplace to reduce spillages
Banning kettles in a workplace due to health and safety is another common myth that is widespread. Usually a manager who is fed up of spillages would enforce this rule.
Although a ban would decrease the amount of spillages, this is a complete myth from a health and safety standpoint. Many say that open topped cups should also be banned, however this is another health and safety myth, as there is no specific legislation citing this. A common practice in the workplace states you must have regular breaks away from your desk.
Trapeze Artists must now wear a hard hat
This statement is widely reported by reputable sources. You would think this is true right? NOPE! This is also a myth.
Hard hats are designed to protect falling debris hitting the head of a worker. A great product on a building site, however it is not required in law for trapeze artists.
Don’t forget, if you haven’t already, to head over to the previous top 5 health and safety myths.