I was recently told by a Chief Executive that HS people were generally considered small minded individuals and were to be given short shrift most of the time. Has anyone else experienced this ?

BJC - though I don't ever remember anyone telling me that H&S people were generally considered to be "small minded", I hope you were able to politely ask the chief executive why he/she held this opinion. Perhaps the person was being deliberately provocative to see how you reacted to the comments.

Maybe I've just been lucky in the CEO's at Companies I have worked for, but even when the Company was making a loss none of them would have said such a thing - or even thought it as far as I am aware. Mind you, anyone calling me "small minded" would probably regret it... ;-)

I remember telling an MD from the past, that he needs to spend some money on a Fire Detection and Alarm System in each of his buildings. His response was, and I quote 'let em burn!' Coincidentally, I was made redundant shortly after and the role was given to an external consultant (my guess is - very infrequently called upon). I can honestly say now 'best thing that ever happened to me!' There are good, there are bad and there are ugly...

Remember getting a similar response by an MD who being the 'main man' responsible for H&S, I was asked to present to by the company HR Director as he, the HR Director, was concerned with the poor standards and accident stats at the business. My presentation was as a result of an audit of the premises, predominantly visual, and also reflected my extremely worrying concerns. I was given very short shrift by the MD whereupon I felt very offended and wanted to leave, the HR Director however asked me to continue on. The MD took very little attention and at one stage turned sideways ignoring the presentation and discussion. Three months later the business suffered a fatality, guess which ‘small mined’ person was called in to assist – NB the MD was asked to resign. Three months too late I reckon.

I've been called a 'box ticker' within the last month, and that from a guy on the shop floor who should have known better! Fortunatly, my MD is very proactive and understands fully what we are trying to achieve.

I think there is quite a bit of justificaion for saying h&s people are 'small minded' Just look at some of the arguments on this forum over niff naff, trivia and very small risks. Anyone for RIDDOR reporting etc etc

I was once told by a former employer that the lads on site "hated" me... now i can cope with being not liked as it goes with the job..but though hated was bit strong. At the end of the day, hate me or not, they all went home safe to their families so i reckon its an occupational hazard.

I recall a meeting with my boss who commented that if people liked the h&S person, then they were being too soft on them. Finding that balance between being fair and liked, but assertive when required is the challenge we all face daily. Plus the fact there is no pleasing some people anyway.

I have 2 managers who are "gits" them. What is the technical term for someone who "is as thick as a whale omelette"? Andy

BJC - I feel this says more about the Chief Executive than it does about HS people. I have experienced this too, and will follow the CEs lead by making another generalisation... the persons offering me that opinion only see the cost of safety, not the value. Motorhead - As an pre-emptive Friday comment - Is the technical term you are looking for "The Right Honourable"?

He even threw in the acronym of "Institute Of Smallminded Halfwits" ....

SP - From an internet trawl the initials IOD have various meanings including the following: Insular Order of Druids, Index of Discrimination, injuries on duty, interocular orientation disparity (which might have some association with Internet Oracularity Digest), Individuele Overeenkomst Dienstverlening (Dutch?) as well as some outfit called the Institute of Directors. :-) Earlier mentions of the "Daily Mail" in this thread prompt me to mention that I ran a polling station yesterday. During lulls throughout the 15 hour stint (for which polling station staff waive their rights under the Working Time Regulations!) when there were no voters my assistant and I discussed all sorts of topics. Early on, and before we knew each other's occupations, my assistant said he was a Daily Mail reader when we started to discuss newspapers! Therefore, I promptly relished a bit of a challenge when I came to mention working in OS&H. However, I was disappointed in this respect - and also delighted - when it transpired that he had used the word "was" in the past tense. He explained that he had subscribed to the said (alleged) newspaper for a while (perhaps in response to a reduced price offer intended to attract new readers), but gave it up because he found its content and whingeing editorial style far too depressing and unintelligent, etc. My assistant also mentioned that one of his relatives had sustained a significant injury at work a few years ago because of sloppy control and execution of a contractor activity at the relative's workplace. This provided a useful basis for discussing the purpose of real OS&H as opposed to Dail Mail style "elf and safety". On the minus side he explained that he had left a previous job some years ago partly because of the introduction by his bosses of a requirement to risk assess every conceivable situation and activity in great detail even when it was clear that no significant risks were involved.