The term 'disability' is very broad - there could be, for instance, mobility issues, why someone could not gain access to a certain area to give H & S advice - but as a general consultant, advising on the finer points of H & S, why not?

Difficult one and for me a H&S Practitioner is a bad example (Scope of exact role would have a bearing).

I also focus on the 'cannot' bit, personally would agree with the words 'should not' inserted against various roles but again, a H&S Practitioner is not one of the 'jobs' I have in mind.

Difficulty lies with not discriminating in the terms of the law so really is just an opinion. Cannot and should not are two different things. Cannot almost implies physically impossible to. Should not can be divisive dependant one which side of the fence you sit on the topics subject matter and a personal opinion formed over many years from various sources/cases/arguments/news/changing world.

Interesting one and as something of a sweeping statement ".. People cannot carry out work as health and safety consultants if they are disabled" is something of a nonsense. That said, I suffer from 2 chronic conditions that would (almost certainly) be regarded as a 'disability' under EA and there are some jobs that due to one of my conditions I am 'barred' from doing including offshore work, and cabin crew. Soooo, whoever it was might be right.

Picking up on your latter post, being realistic I would have thought that there might be any number of jobs that would prove difficult for people with certain disabilities to do, but there are also plenty that they can do and do, do!

I would not expect a blind person to be working as a driver, nor would I expect a deaf person to be a counsellor.

I have a minor hearing disability but it certainly does not preclude me from doing my job in virtually any environment. I manage.

I described a job I did as H&S consultant for works in a road tunnel. The tunnel is 2.5 miles long and it was closed to public during the works. Access was available at all times and I did my work either in the car or in the site office.

From the car I could see everything that went on, there was a H&S manager doing site inspections, Inductions etc.

The workers were transported to their location by minibus or own vehicle.

This was not believed.

I have a walking problem, can walk a little but need to sit down a lot.

I also have experienced using a mobility scooter to get across town to a location

Where I could sit and/or lean against something and do the work that way.

Does anyone have a view on those examples?

I have a physical disability affecting my mobility, sometimes I have to use mobility aids but I still work a full-time H&S role. Sure, in the damp and cold weather I'm strict about taking my lunch breaks so I can rest, and I manage my diary carefully but I've never had to refuse do any aspect of my job on the grounds of diability. If I work a 14 or 15 hours day, then I take the next morning off for recovery time, but I always meet my targets.

No one can say a disabled person can't do this role. That's silly (as well as discriminatory!). I have found more acceptance in my H&S role, than the harrassment I faced when working in facilties management, I always thought it was because my colleagues came from a risk assessment point of view, we always looked at what I could do and when there was a challenge we'd look at what we could do to work around it (control measures). It was that type of background and willingness that made it easier for me to "fit in".

My disability is an advantage in my role, I have faced challenge after challenge, so I'm a great problem solver.

No!

It really does still depend on the expected scope of the work.
I have managed (loose use of the word) to fulfil my role from my desk for the last 3 weeks.
Some 'Consultants' will be more 'hands-on' or 'mobile' than others dependent on scope of the work involved in the contract.

I think that the comments by Hospital Boy and MrsR are really insightful.

Unfortunately illegal discrimination still exists in various guises, and it often strikes me that some people are genuinely ignorant of their responsibilities with regard to EA and the needs of those with a disability (or perhaps they simply don't care!) .

Firesafety, I do still not fully understand where you are coming from or what you are really after (although it could be me being a bit obtuse) but I assume that you have a disability and that someone somewhere has suggested that you can’t apply for a job. You yourself have provided an example at #10 in which someone with a disability can with a little thought continue to do a ‘job of work; with a little bit of thought.

Depending on the nature of their work, some consultants may not stray far from their desk while others may need to physically climb to the top of a building in order to fulfil their role, and any number of shades of grey (am I allowed to mention that on here?) in between.

The devil is in the detail. Some disabilities would preclude doing some jobs, but many others won’t. A little creative thinking can overcome many barriers that people with disabilities face. But overall the original assertion that “..that people cannot carry out work as health and safety consultants if they are disabled.” is at best rather short sighted, and some of the people commenting on this thread can testify to that.

Whoever this undivulged person in a senior role (#1) is, I suggest they have given very careful consideration to their chosen words. The statement is wide open to interpretation. You perceive DDA/Equality issues. I could interpret it as must have a valid driving licence. As for "functional ability in relation to care" - who knows? That could mean anything!