Happy retirement for quite a few HSE inspectors very soon! So maybe they will no longer be doing Myth of the Month?

More likely they could not sustain the cost of producing the illustrations perhaps?

I will miss the myth but, as Heather says, it was running out of ideas. My favourite is the HSE bans ladders. I had to 'retrieve' two contractors from a fork-lift held pallet that was at head height. They assured me that they were doing this because the HSE had banned ladders. I got them down and printed out the posters for them to take back to their employers. Perhaps the myth of the month should not be retired but issued on an ad-hoc basis to dispel myths as they arise. Perhaps on Friday we ought to start suggesting our own myths.....

The HSE says that "During the last four years we've debunked some truly ridiculous misrepresentations of health and safety", but have they? In my opinion the only people that have seen these myth busting efforts are those with a vested interest in health and safety ( I circulate them around my workplace when needed) but those that perpetuate and believe the myths, the likes of the Daily Fail and its readers, don't see the myth of the month and never will. We must face up to the fact we will always have to defend ourselves at parties etc. and must do our best to spread the truth that our profession is about finding sensible and safe ways of carrying out tasks and not finding excuses to stop fun.

Afternoon, I think that the myth of the month has had its uses and has been a regular on my boards for a few years because it can get people looking at them. Although I have to admit a few did not go up it will be good to see with what they replace them with or if they do at all.

I copied the Myths into a PowerPoint slide show for futute use around the workplace if required. I even got my name up in lights in the very last one Bob