Risk, Health and Safety Information

HSE Myth Busters

Children not allowed to have balloons

Issue

Enquirer was told that they could not give out air-filled balloons to children after a library book event due to unspecified health and safety reasons. Instead they had to burst them and throw them away.

Panel opinion

What a lot of hot air! There are no health and safety regulations which stand in the way of children having fun with balloons

Nightclub bans selfie sticks

Issue

A media story reported that a nightclub had become the first in Britain to ban selfie sticks (the mobile phone accessory) over health and safety fears after seeing a surge in people bringing them along on nights out.

Panel opinion

The panel believe that it is entirely reasonable to ban the use of selfie sticks because of the potential to be a nuisance in crowded venues. It is unfortunate this one venue felt the need to add weight to a reasonable decision by quoting "health and safety" when there are no specific rules which apply in such a case.

Builders use disabled car parking spaces during hospital construction work

Issue

A media story reported that a hospital was letting builders use disabled parking spaces so it can "keep in line with health and safety regulations".

Panel opinion

The panel is unanimous in its view that the hospital has taken a very reasonable approach to balancing sensible health and safety measures associated with temporary construction work with the recognised inconvenience of reduced short term parking for everyone including disabled patients attending the hospital. This appears to be a case of seeking to generate a story out of a dilemma of short term conflicting requirements faced by and handled proportionately by the hospital.