'Jobsworths' are putting lives at risk, warns chemical engineering Chief.
Citing examples including the banning of Christmas lights and practical science in school classrooms, Brown called on engineers to fight back against nonsensical interpretations of 'Health and Safety' law and insisted that safety management must be based on an understanding of real risks - not trivia.
"Should the misreading of Health and Safety law continue, there is a 'real danger' that when a genuine hazard arises, those who draw attention to it will be ignored, putting lives at risk as a result," said Brown.
"Engineers should protest loud, long and often against the abuse of health and safety by the jobsworth and the killjoy. The profession must reclaim balanced and rational safety management, based on engineering common sense."
Brown highlighted the role of chemical engineers as professionals with the skills to interpret safety legislation with common sense and stressed that it was not the regulators or legislators who should be blamed, rather the people who repeatedly use the mantra 'health and safety says No!' as an excuse.
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