Posted By Hilary Charlton Do we really need to resort to personal comments, snide remarks, sarcasm and bile to make our point? I thought the whole idea of the forum was to help others and gain help ourselves, to show ourselves as professionals in a professional world. Instead we are acting like children bickering over who gets the last Smartie. Am I alone in this opinion?

Posted By Gareth Bryan Hilary, You are not alone on this, I agree entirely. Regards Gareth

Posted By Nigel Hammond Rubbish!! ;-) People often take health & safety far too seriously! I agree we want to be professional and managers need to treat H&S as a top priority. However I think many managers and staff avoid thinking about h&S because they regard it as tedious. I feel that our profession takes itself far too seriously. I think it's better to stop trying to be over-professional and far better to be persuasive and good-humoured. For example - where's the entertainment or humour in the SH Practitioner?? When I used to sit on the train reading it, my fellow passengers use to joke about the 'waves of boardom they could feel emanating from it!!' Therefore I feel that a slanging match is OK -as long as it is good-humoured. But, I agree with you that many slanging matches on this forum are not good-humoured and are thus tedious.

Posted By Hilary Charlton Nigel, Not suggesting for a minute that we all disappear up our own rear ends with our pomposity and self importance - fun is good and should be encouraged, a good debate is healthy and a difference of opinion is a good way of seeing both sides of the argument. However, some of the more recent debates are not healthy, they have dissolved into petty squabbling, personal comments and venom - not helpful, not healthy, not even particularly grown up - this is what should go. Hilary

Posted By Ian Stone Im finding it hard to believe some of the comments that have appeared from certain persons on this forum over the last few days. Surely we are above all this personal attacks. Can people grow up and get this forum back to its best

Posted By Jack I agree there are a couple of threads with a little vitriol but let's not get this out of proportion normal business is proceding elsewhere on the forum. It is, though, a pity that people cannot make robust points without resorting to point scoring when challenged. It seems though, that whenever there is robust debate that is what happens (I'm sure a trawl through the back numbers will show I'm as guilty as anyone). I think it's partly a facet of the electronic medium; the speed of response (the equivalent of acting before fully engaging brain) - if it had to written in the old fashioned way we'd probably edit before posting. Of course once you know a thread's going that way (and they usually drag on for months) you don't have to revisit it - but I reckon a lot of us do judging by the hit rate. It's usually the political issues which generate the most heat (nothing new there then). Perhaps the 'OSH Chat' should be divided into 'Technical' and 'political'?

Posted By Martin R. Bessant Dear Colleagues, Thank you all for your support in trying to resolve some of the problems which are occuring on this forum. I have just placed a warning message on the "Chartered Status" thread reminding people of the Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Guidelines. The Moderating team is monitoring the debates on the forums and will take action to remove any threads which breach the IOSH guidelines. Martin Bessant - Lead Moderator.

Posted By Gavin Gibson I have only just joined this debate, but I don't like smarties. Please can I have the last rollo instead?

Posted By Robert K Lewis Paul Totally agree with you. The problem is also that some threads are started by non-Members and they can initiate some strong responses. We must always be aware of the "general public" who view this forum and need to take care not to go too far, which is happening elsewhere. Bob

Posted By ron muir I am always amazed when I see long threads like the one on Corporate Status. It begs the question " When do these people ever do any work !!!! If they are really pationate about the Institution they should put themselves up for Council, or join a Branch Exec and work from within IOSH instead of knocking it from outside.

Posted By Michael Miller No! and well said Hilary. I am a bit of a newby on this site. I learned about it from another friend and safety advisor who warned me that Although there was some good debate there was also a lot of 'anoraks' on the site