Posted By Ruth Doyle
The subject of Jeremy Clarkson is rarely far from practitioners’ minds. His continued heated attacks on health and safety feel like a personal attack to some, a background irritant to others. Love him or hate him, he’s impossible to ignore.

The question I am constantly asked is what is IOSH doing to stop him and others like him?

The answer is not a simple one. There are two ways in which our media relations strategy will ultimately help to balance or lessen the impact of this kind of negative media coverage.

First, IOSH vehemently rebuts every negative media story we see or hear about, usually within hours, and often thanks to the beady eyes of members! This has resulted in IOSH President Neil Budworth appearing on the Today Programme, and our letters have been published in all the major broadsheets. It’s also starting to result in IOSH being approached for balancing comment when potentially negative stories are being written.

Second, we’re starting to build annual national-level campaigns on positive issues. Last year, it was Chartered status and the membership changes. This year, our main focus has been young people, and wiseup2work. By showing that health and safety can be a positive aspect of life, we will gradually start to get a more balanced debate in the media.

Our efforts are starting to pay off – this year, we achieved a 400% increase in local and regional press and a 60% increase in trade sector press. Our main target for the next year is nationals and broadcast media, where we’re starting to get IOSH on the radar. There is certainly much to do, and much is already being done.

However, we must remember that Clarkson and others make a career out of being controversial. If he didn’t talk about health and safety (or environmental issues, big cars/machines, etc. etc.) then he wouldn’t make a living. He will never write a positive piece about health and safety, because being negative about it is one of his biggest sources of income.

Clarkson is just as unlikely to ever agree to a debate with health and safety professionals, but other detractors have been more approachable. We recently had success at a local level, when columnist and health and safety detractor Geoff Hill was challenged to an IOSH arranged debate, resulting in a very positive health and safety piece in the Belfast Newsletter.

The battle against tabloid journalism might never be won, but what IOSH can do is counter negative media comment with robust rebuttals, positive campaigns, and by starting to develop good relationships with journalists.

It is only through our positive, proactive campaigning that the health and safety message will really get through.

Ruth Doyle, IOSH Director of Communications.

Posted By George Wedgwood
I had to laugh the other night when Jeremy 'set fire to his hair' when welding up the back of that awful converted 4x4 he was working on to make it amphibious! What a mess and his results (as were the results of his co-presenters) were a disgrace to his own profession of mechanical engineers. However, it was fun to watch! And I think that is the point - health and safety does not appear to most as being fun (mind you neither does the work of a solicitor!) and if we want to lift it a bit more we need to make some of appear fun. So what about some funny anecdotes then?

Posted By Jeffrey Watt
Ruth

I like Jeremy Clarkson. I never miss Top Gear. I tend not to read the papers as I don't have the time, so miss the negative press that I hear reportedly written by him and his journalist colleagues.

From watching the man I can see he has a love for engineering and how that innovative heritage in the UK had an effect on the world. I too share that love of science and engineering.

He has admitted that he does not really understand the oily bits that well, so he communicated "how it felt" to drive a certain car with some very amusing similie. Compare that with the more technical reviews and it is easy to see who the entertainer is.

He engages people on an emotional level. In my honest opinion IOSH must endeavor to engage with people on an equally strong emotional level as well as on an intellectual level.

Failing that Jeremy Clarkson's episode of "Who do you think you are?" is being repeated on BBC 3 this week where we see him standing in a glass factory wearing Bump hat, ear defenders and goggles. Do a postcard of this with the legend "Safety Hero" on it Pre addressed to Richard Hammond and James May at the BBC, pop it in the next issue of SHP and we all send one in to Top Gear.

He'll not open his gob for weeks.

Right I'm away for some spuds.

Jeff FMIODE.

Posted By Debbie S
Yes, the man rants about Health & Safety (who doesn't because it makes for lively discussion) but flip the coin over......he would no more drive a car on the public road if it was not roadworthy and the cars that he drives are fitted out with state of the art traction control (he raved about this on the Mazda RX8,) anti roll, ABS Brakes, air bags etc etc that he promotes safety, albeit in a different way

Posted By Jim Walker
I think Jeremy has done our profession a tremendous service over the past few years.
He has acted as a figurehead of how the man in the street view us, and as a result we have cleaned up our act enormously.

We all know the old H&S bloke with his clipboard & posters & rules - fortunately he is a dying breed. IOSH shouild leave Jez alone and get on with burnishing the reputation of the true professional

Posted By Dave Wilson
He would be on my cool wall as a very coool presenter Paxman would be far and away down the uncoool section. If you cant have a laugh, apparently there has been a spate of foaming and clingfilming GATSO's recently after he was on with Gordon Ramsay, which I would not condone at all.

Posted By Andrew Cartridge
Dave


We could always offer to clingfilm & foam old dangermouth free of charge.



Andy

Posted By Dave Wilson
Apparently if you insert a can of expanding foam etc illegal and not recommended

Posted By Gary Clarkson
I will drop him an internal mail see what kind of reaction it produces. Who knows, he does seem like a guy with a huge sense of fun.

Posted By Beth Kendrick
I am loving the postcard idea. Brilliant!

Having said that, I also like Clarkson. He's highly entertaining (especially when he loses the Top Gear challenges), even if you don't agree with his views on Health and Safety, the environment, speed limits... (to name but a few).

Also anything or anyone that brings Health and Safety into the public arena in a high profile way that engenders debate is, in my opinion, a good thing. Even if they are wrong.

Posted By Gary IMD(UK)
Linda,

Wasn't that to ask about the H & S Calender?!!

Take care!

Posted By Charley Farley-Trelawney
Jezza is an entertainer; he does just that.

Chazza

Posted By Stupendous Man
A good cross-section of postings here - I have corresponded with Jeremy a few times over the years and have always found him to be a civil chap.

As many have pointed out, he is a journalist and makes his living by having a 'Friday rant' about any subject that comes to mind. Lets face it, accuracy and journalism have never been easy bed-fellows and there must be countless other professions who are livid about the inaccurate reporting of matters relating to 'their' industry.

I like the idea of the postcard with Jezza wearing all manner of PPE - but expect this to be turned into another article in the 'elf n safety vein.