Wrapped up in cotton wool
Page 17
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Operators talk to CM about the pros and cons of health and safety law, and explain how it has worked against them on several occasions
Words: Pat Hagan When you check the Health and Safety Executive statistics on workplace accidents in the road haulage industry, they make for some worrying reading. In 2010, for example, there were 482 major injuries and nearly 1,400 less serious injuries caused by slips and trips alone.
In the same year, two people were killed, 79 very seriously injured, and 250 badly hurt by accidents involving moving lorries in the workplace.
So nearly 40 years after the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 first came into effect, it’s clear there is still room for improvement.
CM’s operator panel members give their thoughts on what difference the legislation has made, and provide some enlightening examples of where the law has proved to be too restrictive. ■