Occasionally in the morass of rules and regulations that Nanny spews forth, there is a ray of sunshine in the form of commonsense being applied. Such was the case recently when Chris Grayling, the Employment Minister, told voluntary organisations that they are not required to obtain independent audits and should not be 'bogged down' in red tape.
Charity shops run by volunteers were facing the threat of closure, because they could not afford the costs of complying with additional regulations wrt health and safety.
The shops were fearful that they would have to hire "health and safety consultants" to perform risk assessments etc. Mr Grayling referred to these "consultants" in a refreshingly direct manner, as "cowboys".
As said, this is a rare ray of sunshine. I was, until now, wondering if commonsense had been banned completely.
Visit The Orifice of Government Commerce and buy a collector's item.
Visit The Joy of Lard and indulge your lard fantasies.
Show your contempt for Nanny by buying a T shirt or thong from Nanny's Store.
www.nannyknowsbest.com is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Celebrate the joy of living with booze. Click and drink!
Visit Oh So Swedish Swedish arts and handicrafts
Why not really indulge yourself, by doing all the things that Nanny really hates? Click on the relevant link to indulge yourselves; Food, Bonking, Gifts and Flowers, Groceries
Ken,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiments but, what if local Nanny insists that these audits are carried out, would Westminster Nanny be able to protect the charity shops from local Nanny or will it be a case similar to that regarding weekly bin collections; Westminster nanny cannot force local Nanny to comply?
A lot of social inadequate and people with a propensity to be control freaks are making a lot of money out of the 'Elf’n’Safety industry.(sic)
BTW; Here in Wokingham, there is talk of NAGs (Neighbourhood Action Groups) taking over the role of Plod in relation to speed enforcement as part of the big society. The comments that people have raised indicate what a mad policy this idea is.
Link;-
http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/news/s/2094651_locals_may_take_on_traffic_cops_speeding_role
Ken - here's an H&S bod showing some commonsense!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/22/murray-mount-health-safety-executive
//
Health and safety officials have criticised Wimbledon for blaming them for the decision to close Murray Mount on Monday.
The giant screen in front of the slope was turned off during a spell of rain on Monday due to fears that fans could slip and hurt themselves. But Judith Hackitt, the chair of the Health and Safety Executive, said the much-criticised decision was wrongly presented to the public as one forced by health and safety laws.
Mrs Hackitt wrote to Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association: "I was particularly disappointed to discover that [you] chose to explain the decision to ban spectators from Murray Mount as being 'on health and safety grounds'.
"There is nothing in health and safety legislation which prohibits the continued broadcasting of Centre Court action to the crowds on the hill during the rain. Health and safety is concerned with the proportionate management of real risks caused by work, not attempting to eliminate every minor risk from every moment of people's lives.
"People have been walking up and down wet, grassy slopes for years without catastrophic consequences. If the LTA was concerned about people slipping and suing for their injuries, the message should have made clear the decision was 'on insurance grounds'."
The letter concluded: "Health and safety excuses are becoming as much a feature of the British sporting calendar as the rain. You will understand that, while we can do nothing about the weather, we will not let the excuses pass unchallenged."