{"id":35566,"date":"2013-11-22T11:54:19","date_gmt":"2013-11-22T11:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=402548e3e0006c5a8ddd39378b62a783"},"modified":"2013-11-22T11:54:19","modified_gmt":"2013-11-22T11:54:19","slug":"press-release-new-uk-map-of-bogus-elf-and-safety-excuses-londoners-report-most-jobsworth-decisions-to-mythbuster-panel-with-scots-and-welsh-at-other-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=35566","title":{"rendered":"Press release: New UK map of bogus \u2018elf and safety excuses \u2013 Londoners report most \u2018jobsworth\u2019 decisions to mythbuster panel \u2013 with Scots and Welsh at other end of league table"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<p>More people in London and the south east have reported ill-founded health and safety excuses than any other part of the UK, new analysis shows. <\/p>\n<p>Britain\u2019s workplace safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, has analysed the national spread of all reports to the popular Myth Busters Challenge Panel \u2013 set up to clamp down on bogus health and safety excuses.  <\/p>\n<p>The results show that more people report that they\u2019re told \u201csorry, can\u2019t do that because of \u2018elf and safety\u2019\u201d in the capital and the south east than anywhere else \u2013 with more than 50 cases reported over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>The results also show: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yorkshire is next on the league table for reporting absurd edicts \u2013 with 22 complaints<\/li>\n<li>Wales and the Highlands of Scotland have received the least number of complaints about \u2018elf and safety excuses<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Minister for Health and Safety Mike Penning said: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Health and Safety regulations save lives \u2013 but bogus excuses do nothing more than throw a spanner in the works of otherwise sensible activity.<\/p>\n<p>No doubt the figures will raise an interesting debate about whether they reveal the extent of over-zealousness or show that people have had enough and are no longer prepared to put up with nonsense excuses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">Either way, it\u2019s good to see so many people on the side of restoring common sense.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"map-and-a-list-of-regional-and-national-highlights-of-the-daftest-health-and-safety-decisions\">Map and a list of regional and national highlights of the daftest \u201chealth and safety\u201d decisions<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image embedded\">\n<div class=\"img\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Map of elf and safety madness\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/image_data\/file\/18984\/hs-map-221113.jpg\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"attachment inline\" id=\"attachment_430964\"><br \/>\n  <a href=\"\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/260589\/elf-safety-map-211113.pdf\">View map of elf and safety madness<\/a><br \/>\n  (<span class=\"type\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>, <span class=\"file-size\">265KB<\/span>, <span class=\"page-length\">1 page<\/span>)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Some of those exposed in the capital include:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the cleaners at London underground stations banned from wearing woolly hats in winter<\/li>\n<li>a well-known department store which refused to serve fried eggs in a \u201cfull English breakfast\u201d for fear of a pan fire<\/li>\n<li>British airline flying out of Heathrow who refused to serve boiled sweets to passengers suffering ear-ache<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Next in the national league table is Yorkshire, where residents have to put up with their fair share of bad customer service dressed up as health and safety \u2013 with 22 complaints. <\/p>\n<p>Those living in Wales and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland have reported the least number of absurd edicts, with just 8 cases reported in each. <\/p>\n<p>Other ridiculous examples from other parts of the country include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a housewife from Kenilworth who was told by her fishmonger they would not fillet her fish because it was too slippery<\/li>\n<li>kids in Midlothian forced to traipse hundreds of yards to use their new tree house because the local council refused to build one on their own land<\/li>\n<li>a woman who had her parasol confiscated at York races, but told she could have it back if it rained<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>HSE Chair Judith Hackitt said: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"last-child\">It\u2019s becoming increasingly clear just how many petty jobsworths there are hiding behind health and safety for fear of being sued or because they simply can\u2019t be bothered. I want more people to have the confidence to challenge these excuses. If it doesn\u2019t make sense to you then you are probably being fobbed off \u2013 many people are beginning to realise that now.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Myth Busters Challenge Panel was set up in April 2012 to help the public challenge petty and misguided decisions wrongly made in the name of health and safety. Since then there has been more than 210 complaints to the Panel, with the huge majority of cases having no basis in law.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"more-information\">More information<\/h2>\n<p>Anyone who suspects a case of \u2018health and safety madness\u2019 can <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hse.gov.uk\/myth\/index.htm\">contact the independent panel of experts<\/a> if they feel they have been on the wrong end of a ridiculous decision.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"contact-press-office\">Contact Press Office<\/h2>\n<div class=\"contact postal-address\" id=\"contact_827\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<h3>Press Office<\/h3>\n<div class=\"vcard contact-inner\">\n<p class=\"adr\">\n<span class=\"street-address\">Caxton House<br \/>\n<br \/>\nTothill Street<\/span><br \/><span class=\"locality\">London<\/span><br \/><span class=\"postal-code\">SW1H 9NA<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"email-url-number\">\n<p class=\"tel\">\n              <span class=\"type\">London Press Office (national media and London area enquiries only \u2013 not questions about personal claims)<\/span><br \/>\n              020 3267 5144\n            <\/p>\n<p class=\"tel\">\n              <span class=\"type\">Out-of-hours (journalists only)<\/span><br \/>\n              076 59 108 883\n            <\/p>\n<p class=\"tel\">\n              <span class=\"type\">England and Wales (local media enquiries)<\/span><br \/>\n              029 20 586 then 097or 098 or 099\n            <\/p>\n<p class=\"tel\">\n              <span class=\"type\">Scotland (local media enquiries)<\/span><br \/>\n              0131 310 1122\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Media enquiries for this press release \u2013\t<\/p>\n<p>DWP Edward Davies \u2013 020 3267 5108 <br \/>\nemail \u2013 <a href=\"mailto:edward.davies@dwp.gsi.gov.uk\">edward.davies@dwp.gsi.gov.uk<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>HSE Jason Green \u2013 0151 951 4548 <br \/>\nemail \u2013 <a href=\"mailto:jason.green@hse.gsi.gov.uk\">jason.green@hse.gsi.gov.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>General enquiries \u2013 0203 267 5117<\/p>\n<p>Follow DWP on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Twitter \u2013 <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/dwppressoffice\">www.twitter.com\/dwppressoffice<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li>Facebook \u2013 <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dwp\">www.facebook.com\/dwp<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li>LinkedIn \u2013 <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dwp\">www.linkedin.com\/company\/dwp<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li>YouTube \u2013 <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/dwp\">www.youtube.com\/dwp<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More people in London and the south east have reported ill-founded health and safety excuses than any other part of the UK, new analysis shows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35566"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35566\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}