I recently came across this on an H&S checklist issued to volunteers at an event and it started me thinking about the phase ‘common sense’, its origins, definition, uses and, of course, its application to health and safety. A search of the HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk) revealed ‘Common Sense Common Safety’ (5). In this, Lord Young opines ‘Above all it means applying common sense not just to compensation but to everyday decisions once again’ and ‘My report highlights the role that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities have in promoting a common sense approach to health and safety’. The Prime Minister of the day, David Cameron, claims that…
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Health and Safety Practitioner Skills
In February 2001 Christopher Hooper, an independent Health and Safety Consultant, carried out a risk assessment for a client on a wood jig boring machine. Two years later, an employee of his client injured their hand while operating the machine. And, after investigation, the HSE decided to prosecute Mr Hooper under S.36 of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The case took a while to come to court, but in 2004 the Magistrates’ Court was told that Mr Hooper’s risk assessment fell significantly short of the standards required and, in effect, contributed to the accident as it failed to identify the danger of the machine snatching at pieces…
