Safety Update - Jubilee Celebrations ;o)

OK so we can't be serious all of the time and with the holiday weekend coming up we felt it a good time to start getting in the swing of things and with some good news!

It is party time , so don't get all hung up with risk assesments and paperwork and it is official.  On the 22nd May the Government said:

"Celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee should go ahead unhindered by bogus health and safety restrictions"

Furthermore Erick Pickles, th Communities Secretary, said:

"Unnecessary and irrelevant health and safety regulations should not be used as an excuse to prevent people to celebrate; the only red tape in sight should be the Jubilee bunting hanging in the streets."

And HSE Chair Judith Hackitt added:


"The Diamond Jubilee is going to be a huge celebration. We want to ensure that the hours of planning and preparation lead to successful and enjoyable events. Health and safety law does not to apply to local events organised by community volunteers and a few sensible precautions to deal with any potential minor incidents are all that is required. We are encouraging people to challenge decisions when they think health and safety is being used as an excuse and the Panel is ready to help."

Often health and safety is invoked wrongly to disguise a person's real motives - an unwillingness to honestly defend an unpopular decision, concern over costs or complexity of running an event, or worries about potential civil liability claims.

Plans are already underway for celebrations around Britain for the extended weekend of 2-5 June.

Some local authorities have already acted to get rid of red tape and make it easier for local residents. Essex County Council have had more than 3,000 visitors to their helpful Jubilee planning webpages and Hampshire County Council are encouraging people to go ahead without costly insurance when it's just unnecessary."

The HSE have also produced some tips for a safe weekend of partying:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/news/jubilee/index.htmWhen you all return to work after the holiday we will be here to help you deal with your asset management, access and safety projects.  As for the hangover we can only sympathise!