Posted By Jay Joshi In a free society, we will always get this, especially when its headlines that is supposed to sell newspapers or increase TV ratings. The more responsible ones try to give both points of view --of the topic under consideration. For example, last week an HSE funded research report -RR 132-was published on "Shift work and breast cancer: a critical review of the epidemiological evidence" The abstract states:- The report reviews critically the epidemiological literature that has addressed the possible relation between shift work and risk of breast cancer. Four published studies were identified that have directly investigated this relation, two cohort studies and two case-control studies. Each has different methodological strengths, and each has found some significant associations, sometimes with dose or duration response effects, albeit with varying size of risk and to different aspects of shift work. A potential mechanism for a relation between shift work and breast cancer risk would be via an effect of altered light exposure at night on levels of melatonin or other hormones that might affect cancer risk; this mechanism has not been established, however. Overall, the evidence for an association of breast cancer risk with shift work is appreciable but not definitive, and it remains unclear whether any association is causal or a consequence of confounding. The front page headlines in London's Metro were --"Cancer linked to Strip-Lighting". This is because what is published is generally selective and does not have the full context.

Posted By Diane Thomason This is one of my hobby-horses too. One of the aggravating things is that "they" can moan (for example) about drivers not being able to disable reversing sirens "This Is Ridiculous! splutter...", but the minute someone was crushed by a reversing vehicle there would be cries of "shouldn't be allowed to happen, lax safety standards blah blah, and why was the driver allowed to turn off the reversing siren?" and "Something Must Be Done!" I agree that it would be good to have a representative of IOSH, or another responsible H&S body, to answer some of these stories in the media, but we won't get that - it would spoil the story! On goes the soothing music.... !

Posted By Tyler I read Sean Fraser's response to this thread and thought about an email sent to me recently. I know it doesn't particularly relate to this thread (more so to Sean's response)so forgive me. However I think the sentiment is spot on. Tyler ............................................. WE'VE MADE IT! According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were Kids in the 50's, 60's, and 70's probably shouldn't have survived. Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint, which was promptly chewed and licked. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans. When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip flops and fluorescent 'clackers' on our wheels. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the passenger seat was a treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle - tasted the same. We ate dripping sandwiches, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can and no one actually died from this. We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us all day and no one minded. We did not have Playstations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99 channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet chat rooms. We had friends - we went outside and found them. We played elastics and street rounders, and sometimes that ball really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits. They were accidents. We learnt not to do the same thing again. We had fights, punched each other hard and got black and blue - we learned to get over it. We walked to friend's homes. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate live stuff, and although we were told it would happen, we did not have very many eyes out, nor did the live stuff live inside us forever. We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them. Congratulations!

Posted By Tyler Thanks Rob!! I am glad you enjoyed it. Congratulations on being a fellow veteran of the era. Tyler

Posted By Hilary Charlton Tyler I had that one sent to me - or close enough, but I also had an additional part which I tack on now - not much to do with health and safety but as we were all kids of the same era I guess it will bring a smile if nothing else. .................. go back in time... Before the Internet or the Apple Mac. Before semi-automatics, joyriders and crack.... Before SEGA or Super Nintendo... Way back........ I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park. The corner shop. Hopscotch. Butterscotch. Skipping. Handstands. Football with an old can. Fingerbob. Beano, Dandy, Buster, Twinkle and Dennis the menace. Roly Poly. Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass. Bazooka Joe bubble gum. An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune Chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe Neapolitan or perhaps a screwball Wait...... Watching Saturday morning cartoons....short commercials, The Double Deckers, Road Runner, He-Man, Zeebedee Tiswas or Swapshop?, and 'Why Don't You'? - or staying up for Doctor Who. When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Earwigs, wasps, stinging nettles and bee stings. Sticky fingers. Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and Zorro. Climbing trees. Building igloos out of snow banks. Walking to school, no matter what the weather. Running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights. Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles. Being tired from playing....remember that? The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Choppers and Grifters I'm not finished just yet..... Eating raw jelly. Orange squash ice pops. Remember when... There were two types of trainers - girls and boys, and Dunlop Green Flash and the only time you wore them at school was for P.E. You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends. You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve. When nobody owned a pure-bred dog. When 25p was decent pocket money When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny. When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents. When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs etc. Parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! - and some of us are still afraid of them!! Didn't that feel good? Just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that! Remember when.... Decisions were made by going " Ip Dip Dog [expletive deleted] " "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly". The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs. And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one. It was unbelievable that 'British Bulldog 123' wasn't an Olympic event. Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a catapult. Nobody was prettier than Mum. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin. Ice cream was considered a basic food group Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED. Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life... >I DOUBLE-DARE YOU"

Posted By Tyler John, I agree with you that we are the lucky 'survivors' of the era. I am married to a Teacher and recently we were invited to a school function where we sat at the table with the head master and other senior teachers and their respective partners. The conversation turned to 'Health and Safety' I did not make it clear that I am connected with this field, instead I listened to how they percieve 'health and safety'. All sorts of claims were made! such as, "You cant have scissors in first aid kits any more because they may puncture the sterilised packaging of plasters" and "I've heard in such and such a school they have stopped the kids playing rugby and football all together." The Headmaster nodded quietly to himself, I am sure he was considering the same! This stance is a travesty!! The thread we are discussing here is the public's perception of health and safety and rightly or wrongly we in the profession are percieved as a hinderance to either getting the job done or having fun or both. We in the profession know this is not the case and we are here to protect people from harm. But lets not go too far!! I love taking risks and do so regularly, Bungee jumping, playing rugby, mountain climbing and so on. Although the hazards are present with information and training the risks can be lowered. There is no need to stop all together!. In short, lets work together to improve the negative perception the public have on us. I'm off the soap box now!! 8o) Tyler PS Hilary, Bazooka Bubblegum!!! Whatever happened to that??

Posted By Geoff Burt Zoe In the main I agree with what's been said but I think you may have picked a poor example to despair at. If a trapeze artist falls then a hard hat (eg a protective helmet) may save their life. It would only be a problem if it affected their perfomance or by getting in the way somehow. Most of us wouldn't dream of going on a motorbike without a helmet - is there a difference? Geoff

Posted By Hilary Charlton I think it was originally called Bazooka Joe - does this sound right??? - but seems to have been swallowed up somewhere (excuse the pun) by Hubba Bubba which came in packs of 5 and worked out cheaper. As for serious - I take my job very seriously, as I think we all do, otherwise, what is the point - but this doesn't mean that we shouldn't take measured risks - by measured I mean of course, what would the consequences be, to me personally and those I am responsible for, if the worst happens? This is all you can do. I don't take unnecessary risks at the moment because I have young children and they need their mother but when they are independent I probably will take more risks than I do presently. As for fun - let's face it, health and safety although an interesting and worthwhile profession, is not exactly a laugh a minute - if we can Take 5 and reminisce then where's the harm. Bad press - well, everyone gets bad press, look at Tony Blair - one minute he's a hero, the next well, least said I guess. But at some point everyone takes a hammering - the police, the NHS, Liberal Democrates, IDS - the list is endless - some of the Laws and we are subject to are ridiculous beyond measure so we should expect to be held up to scrutiny at some stage over them. There's no such thing as bad press anyway, at least if they're poking fun they are thinking about Health and Safety and shoving it right in everyone else's faces too - better than 20 years ago when they didn't even consider it. I'm sure I am not the only person on this thread to have had friends die from accidents or diseases, they were all younger than I am now (38), but these things do happen and we have to live with it and move on. There will always be accidents while people are individuals with their own perceptions and own requirements. Certainly, take precautions, make things as safe as possible but keep taking the risks and keep living as opposed to merely existing. Hilary

Posted By Jonathan Breeze All very nice stories above, but no one has answered the two questions initially posed by Zoe. I repeat them here in reverse order, to refresh your memory: 1) If the only H&S stories that get any publicity are ones which show the profession in this sort of trivial light then how can we expect to be taken seriously when discussing the big stuff? 2)Do we perhaps need IOSH to nip this sort of thing in the bud? Briefly, my answers are - 1) We can't, and 2) Yes we do. I will say no more in the open forums, as I feel that the topic is more suited to the Membership Issues Forum. Jon

Posted By Geoff Burt ... or take ourselves too seriously.

Posted By Andy Petrie Our proffesion is a strange one, if we do our job properly, no one knows about it. Do you get people saying well done, that chemical plant hasn't blown up today? People expect us to do our job, without realising that we do it. The only time they hear about us is when it goes wrong. I cant imagine the papers leading with 'Man wears appropriate PPE at work - Shock Report' it just isn't gonna sell. p.s. I preffered Hubba Bubba anyway, it made bigger bubbles.

Posted By Bryn Maidment John I think you've picked a poor illustration to indicate the differences in actuality and perception. Speed cameras are a very good source of income for police forces despite what anyone in authority tells you. The fact that forces are now allowed to keep a generous proportion of the "revenue" (gov't's word, not mine)speaks volumes. Yes of course such revenue is a small percentage of the overall bill for running such a huge road infrastructure, but for individual forces it is a generous handout that they wouldn't otherwise get. Why else would forces up and down the country be purchasing more of the damn things when the road accident rate is declining? Why else would many Chief Constables kick up such a stink when they were told by ministers that cameras couldn't be hidden, had to have yellow plates and had to be accompanied by relevant road signs? Without any of these in place how else could they be interpreted as speed control? I've just done a straw poll of 48 people, 98% perceived the use of speed cameras to be income generation and not speed control. Don't get me wrong, I applaud their use at accident blackspots and at traffic lights etc but these sensible situations only represent a small fraction. Sorry, but in this case perception is very close to reality.