Posted By Allan St.John Holt You're probable too young to remember Tom Lehrer, but back in the Sixties he wrote a song entitled 'National Brotherhood Week', the refrain of which ran along the lines of 'thank goodness it doesn't last all year!' Seriously, most people I know find it useful to hitch an in-company campaign to something external so that they can get an extra PR shove out of it. but, across the EC my impression is that the UK is one of the few countries that puts a lot of effort into the Week. I don't agree with you about stress, by the way. If you look at the costs of sickness absence to a business and nail down some numbers on stress-related absence it's a real shocker. Let alone the compensation costs. So management isn't going to need that much persuading if you make a sound case with the help of the finance people. The HSE has some interesting material yet to publish, I understand. Allan

Posted By Chris Pollington Last year we made a good effort to promote the week and used the material from the HSE to raise the general awareness of safety issues, and in particular linked it to manual handling, as that according to my injury statistics indicate is my biggest issue. Stress is not a major issue for us and workers have access to our ocupational health consultant, who also deals with stress. So I have found it hard to use this years material in any useful way, my big issue this year is WRULDs and so I'm planning on doing some awareness raising on that subject during October instead. I support the principal of a national event but maybe the theme should not be so narrow. I do like the smaller stickers though!! (just to prove I opened the envelope) Regards Chris.

Posted By Ken Lucas Sorry Jim I don’t think it is a waste of time. OK I know OS&H professionals are the converted; we are always going to have to preach to the non-converted, which I feel is better than those individuals involved in trying to improve H&S like myself, ignoring the whole thing. The HSE have obviously got objectives associated with such theme weeks. A couple of which might be to get us to publicise to other individuals such as CEO’s and senior management for them to concentrate on a OS&H issue for at least one week in the year and thereby increasing the awareness and focus. Another, which might be aligned, is that clearly the HSE are trying to provide the “tools” for us to generate interest and action. Stress as you know, is currently a major issue (and likely Europe as it is aligned to EASHW) and very difficult to regulate, i.e. show me stress? Therefore a possible reason for it being the selected theme. A large number of companies, including major “blue chip” corporations, haven’t even got a stress policy so how can they manage stress. As previously mentioned companies are being heavily financially “abused” by their employees with spurious claims, and I’m sorry I cannot hold with the idea that we shouldn’t have a theme week as it is going to increase claims. Come on this is the “information age” they don’t need a theme week to find out a nice way to “pull a flanker”. If the HSE theme week ensures that some companies at least partly address the issue or achieve a stress policy and hopefully onwards and upwards to “suitable and sufficient” stress risk assessments, then at least it’s a start and to my mind it would not then have been a waste of time. With respect to employers continuing to ignore the issue until there are regulations in place, well surely that’s not quite the right approach either. I agree, there is a need to spend more money on inspectors and implement regulations but I suspect that the UK will never have enough of those. Effective OS&H need numerous approaches doesn’t it? Of which a theme week from the HSE can be just one and I for one welcome it. OS&H professionals, have to believe that we can get to “hearts and minds”, that we want to change peoples attitudes and beliefs, to achieve a positive safety culture. I know people mention why do we need a safety culture? I’ve never heard of a production culture or a financial culture etc etc why a safety culture? But we have to believe that we can change things. If the theme is not to your liking then like a couple of the others have said, choose another and make a big splash about it. Whatever "fits" and improves H&S. As to financial risk in ignoring H&S – Yes an organisation’s main objective is to create profit and wealth and ultimately survive in business and organisations with a poor safety performance may well and do, still survive, they are just not being very efficiently or effectively run. I’ve been there, struggled, like so many others a bit like “pushing water uphill” with OH&S. But we all should keep trying. Try telling your CEO some of the stories that are available on major fatal accidents and the terrible financial consequences, not forgetting the moral and human consequences. Good safety is not by accident, or am I preaching to the converted. I like the small sticker as well, but I’ve just spilled tea all over them, anyone who doesn’t want theirs....... Ken