HEALTH AND SAFETY TALIBAN

The boss of West Yorkshire Police has raised a few hackles by references to the Health and Safety Taliban. He believes that H and S concerns can make it easier for police to do nothing in a crisis. Talking about the recent Menezes case when the Metropolitan force were prosecuted for H and S offences he described the trial as "a triumph for health and safety, a lucrative new territory for lawyers, and a disaster for common sense". He suggests that the armchair H and S Taliban are creating doubt in situation where there was once certainty.
Lisa Fowlie, one of the Taliban leaders (actually President of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health), claims they are making the country a safer place.
The rest of us can only be thankful that West Yorkshire have a man of sense at the helm.

HSE

An Aberdeenshire landowner gave a pensioner friend permission to cut down a dead tree for firewood. The tree fell badly killing the old man. His children, who were with him, his widow and the police all say it was an unfortunate accident. The widow does not hold the landowner in any way responsible. But Health and Safety Executive are still investigating, at great expense, and may prosecute. Perhaps if they have staff to waste on this tragic event they should transfer some to Maidstone where people are dying by the busload in local hospitals.