Lord Young was asked back at the start of the summer to produce a report on reforming Britain’s Health and Safety legislation.

 

The proposed changes include:

 

People who perform “good Samaritan” acts which, through no fault of their own, cause others a personal injury should no longer be subject to law suits.

 

Members of emergency services, including part-time police officers, should not be able to be sued when they have risked life and limb to save others.

 

Teachers should no longer have to fill in huge numbers of “risk assessment” forms before taking pupils on trips. A simple consent form, signed by parents, should be all that is needed.

 

Schools should not be liable for injuries suffered by children on trips or when playing sports – except where there has been “reckless disregard”.

 

Firework displays, street parties and concerts should not be able to be banned by local councils or officials on health and safety grounds.

 

Small shops, offices and other “low-risk” workplaces should no longer face complex paperwork to meet risk-assessment and other health and safety criteria.

 

Lawyers who charge “success fees” in “no win, no fee” agreements should no longer be able to recover these fees from defendants.

 

 

 

 

Fantastic work by the government, doesn't go quite far enough but elf n safety is a cancer on our society as is the compensation culture and it is great they are being clamped down on

How many people performing "good samaritan" acts have been successfully sued? Most of the "health and safety gone mad" stories are eventually proved to be rubbish or an over-cautious interpretation of the laws.

 

A lot of the "health and safety" culture is down to the very same tabloids which then complain about it. Whenever a child is seriously injured or killed on a school trip the tabloids scream "Something must be done. This must never happen again". Then those same tabloids complain that schools no longer arrange trips because of the very bureaucracy they wanted in the first place.

How many people performing "good samaritan" acts have been successfully sued? Most of the "health and safety gone mad" stories are eventually proved to be rubbish or an over-cautious interpretation of the laws.

 

A lot of the "health and safety" culture is down to the very same tabloids which then complain about it. Whenever a child is seriously injured or killed on a school trip the tabloids scream "Something must be done. This must never happen again". Then those same tabloids complain that schools no longer arrange trips because of the very bureaucracy they wanted in the first place.

This, basically. The government can't win on this one.

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A lot of the "health and safety" culture is down to the very same tabloids which then complain about it. Whenever a child is seriously injured or killed on a school trip the tabloids scream "Something must be done. This must never happen again". Then those same tabloids complain that schools no longer arrange trips because of the very bureaucracy they wanted in the first place.

 

Spot on.... It's not the Govt's fault that this country has gone down the American road of everyone and their dog taking out civil actions and litigation... The Health and Safety laws may be getting mis-read, but I cannot possibly blame companies for being over-cautious in these times of "Injury Lawyers-4-U" mentality that people have....