{"id":55790,"date":"2015-03-25T10:47:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T10:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=8d3469eea1218347bab384a53098aa4a"},"modified":"2015-03-25T10:47:00","modified_gmt":"2015-03-25T10:47:00","slug":"press-release-dangerous-daffodils-and-10-more-elf-and-safety-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=55790","title":{"rendered":"Press release: \u2018Dangerous\u2019 daffodils and 10 more \u2018elf and safety myths"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<p>From dangerous daffodils being banned on a village green, to pork crackling not on the menu at a restaurant because it might splash the chef \u2013 complaints from the public being fobbed off with \u2018elf and safety excuses are at a record high. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"image embedded\">\n<div class=\"img\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt='\"\"' src=\"https:\/\/assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/image_data\/file\/38135\/daffodils-250315-2.jpg\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>More than 600 people approached the Health and Safety Executive\u2019s (<abbr title=\"Health and Safety Executive\">HSE<\/abbr>) Myth Busters Challenge Panel in its first 3 years after being told \u2018health and safety\u2019 stops them from doing something.<\/p>\n<p>In the overwhelming majority of cases, the <abbr title=\"Health and Safety Executive\">HSE<\/abbr> panel has confirmed that health and safety regulations do not ban the activity and that \u2018health and safety\u2019 is being used as a smokescreen, usually to hide poor customer service.<\/p>\n<p>Work and Pensions Minister, Lord Freud said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>People have had enough of bizarre health and safety excuses.<\/p>\n<p>The <abbr title=\"Health and Safety Executive\">HSE<\/abbr>\u2019s myth busters panel is quashing these ridiculous excuses and making sure people know it isn\u2019t the law standing in their way.<\/p>\n<p>As part of our long term economic plan, we have reinstated common sense and brought in a simpler set of legislations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">For too long businesses have been consumed by red tape and confusion, often feeling they needed to go beyond the requirements of the law, but it\u2019s never been easier to understand the rules and make the right choice, without diluting protection for workers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"list-of-elf-and-safety-myths\">List of \u2018elf and safety myths<\/h2>\n<p>\u2018Dangerous daffodils\u2019 and 10 more \u2018elf and safety myths:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>pork crackling not on the menu at a restaurant because it might splash the chef<\/li>\n<li>prams banned from a children\u2019s centre for health and safety reasons<\/li>\n<li>dangerous daffodils removed from a village green <\/li>\n<li>custard pie fight at a local event cancelled because of health and safety <\/li>\n<li>chippy not allowing customers to put salt and vinegar on their fish and chips<\/li>\n<li>ban on playing with conkers and yoyos, using skipping ropes, and climbing trees <\/li>\n<li>selfie sticks banned in a nightclub <\/li>\n<li>sheep and cow droppings in a field stopping a scout group camping <\/li>\n<li>school production cancelled because lighting operator had not attended ladder training course<\/li>\n<li>loose flowers and pots not allowed on graves<\/li>\n<li>office ban on paperclips  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The continuing popularity of the Myth Busters Challenge panel shows that people are not afraid to challenge overzealous behaviour which is still rife in the retail and leisure industries, education and workplace health and safety, despite action to bring in a simpler, modern set of rules.<\/p>\n<p>A report published on 24 March 2015 shows that the <abbr title=\"Health and Safety Executive\">HSE<\/abbr> has reduced the overall stock of health and safety legislation by 50%. And a legislative package is currently going through Parliament that will enable 1.8 million self-employed jobs to be exempt from health and safety law if they present no risk of harm to others. <\/p>\n<div class=\"call-to-action\">\n<p>Read the final <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/improving-health-and-safety-final-report-march-2015\">health and safety reform progress report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"myth-busters-challenge-panel\">Myth Busters Challenge Panel<\/h2>\n<p>The Myth Busters Challenge Panel (formed in April 2012) looks at complaints regarding advice from non-regulators such as insurance companies, health and safety consultants, employers and general advice where the term \u2018health and safety\u2019 has been used. <\/p>\n<p>To date, over 350 cases have been considered and their responses published on the <abbr title=\"Health and Safety Executive\">HSE<\/abbr> website.<\/p>\n<div class=\"call-to-action\">\n<p>Read more about the Myth Busters \u2013 <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hse.gov.uk\/myth\/\">www.hse.gov.uk\/myth<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"contact-press-office\">Contact Press Office<\/h2>\n<p>Media enquiries for this press release \u2013 0203 267 5124<\/p>\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 097 or 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>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>Complaints from the public being fobbed off with health and safety excuses are at a record high.<\/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\/55790"}],"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=55790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55818,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55790\/revisions\/55818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}