Park benches removed in Crawley after 'absurd' health and safety ruling

1:50pm Thursday 6th September 2012 in News

A council in West Sussex has been told to remove all park benches from under trees because of an "absurd" health and safety regulation, an MP said.

Tory Henry Smith said Crawley Borough Council has been told the benches pose a health and safety risk to anyone who sits on them.

The ruling came to light this summer after Pound Hill Residents Association asked for permission to build a circular bench under a tree in a refurbished community garden but was told it would be in breach of health and safety guidelines.

Mr Smith (Crawley) said he thought there must have been a mistake after an over-zealous official misinterpreted the rules.

Speaking outside the Commons, he said: "They were told they couldn't have this circular bench around the tree because the council had been told they had to remove all park benches from underneath trees.

"In my view this is clearly absurd. There's a risk to everything, whether it's crossing the street or cooking in the kitchen. It just seems to me to be an extreme example of health and safety advice gone mad.

"It's too early to apportion blame but my concern is that some official has misinterpreted the advice and it has resulted in this bizarre ruling.

"I suspect it is the misinterpretation of advice rather than specific advice coming from the Health and Safety Executive."

In a question to new Commons Leader Andrew Lansley, he said: "Can I ask that consideration be given for a debate on over-zealous health and safety regulation?"

Mr Lansley replied: "I hope you will not be surprised to know that we in Government over these last two and a half years have been actively working to ensure common sense is at the heart of how we apply health and safety regulations – that it is evidence-based and proportionate."

Comments(20)

HJarrs says...
2:13pm Thu 6 Sep 12

This story sounds like a typical Tory plant in order to further knock health and safety legislation that protects us. Create controversy where none exists.

I am glad to see that the "Government over these last two and a half years have been actively working to ensure common sense is at the heart of how we apply health and safety regulations". As there is no common sense shown anywhere else and certainly not Lansley's reforms to soften up the NHS for privatisation to his cronies.

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Reader9000 says...
2:30pm Thu 6 Sep 12

HJarrs wrote:
This story sounds like a typical Tory plant in order to further knock health and safety legislation that protects us. Create controversy where none exists.

I am glad to see that the "Government over these last two and a half years have been actively working to ensure common sense is at the heart of how we apply health and safety regulations". As there is no common sense shown anywhere else and certainly not Lansley's reforms to soften up the NHS for privatisation to his cronies.
I think you may be right. Otherwise they'd have to ban seagulls.

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Poccypoc says...
2:54pm Thu 6 Sep 12

As a former senior press officer at the Health and Safety Executive, I can confirm the advice would not have come from the HSE. It's just something the HSE would say. Like in other cases, we didn't tell the Army to put handrails up Snowdon, ban conkers at schools unless the children wore goggles, demand hanging baskets were removed from a town centre in case they fell on people's heads, tell Bruce Springsteen he couldn't play a gig after 11pm, or close Murray Mound at Wimbledon in 2011 because it was too wet - in these last two cases, both the organisers said we did but we didn't! Don't get me started on Jeremy Clarkson; we've had many battles with him over the years. The HSE was the first government department to launch a myth-busting page on its website, in 2001. Take a look: http://www.hse.gov.u
k/​myth/index.htm

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Hove Actually says...
3:01pm Thu 6 Sep 12

This is a LIE
The HSE would never ban a bench unless it was known to be under a rotten tree

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Poccypoc says...
3:03pm Thu 6 Sep 12

As a former senior press officer at the Health and Safety Executive, I can confirm the advice would not have come from the HSE. It's just not something the HSE would say. Like in other cases, we didn't tell the Army to put handrails up Snowdon, ban conkers at schools unless the children wore goggles, demand hanging baskets were removed from a town centre in case they fell on people's heads, tell Bruce Springsteen he couldn't play a gig after 11pm, or close Murray Mound at Wimbledon in 2011 because it was too wet - in these last two cases, both the organisers said we did but we didn't! Don't get me started on Jeremy Clarkson; we've had many battles with him over the years. The HSE was the first government department to launch a myth-busting page on its website, in 2001. Take a look: http://www.hse.gov.u

k/​myth/index.htm

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Poccypoc says...
3:05pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Hove Actually wrote:
This is a LIE
The HSE would never ban a bench unless it was known to be under a rotten tree
Just realised I missed out the word "not," as in it is just NOT something the HSE would say. Have just re-posted full comment. Not sure how to delete original.

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Valerie Paynter says...
3:15pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Competing interest to put to the Crawley silly council. The Sun is a health and safety issue; feeling in need of shade to escape a boiling sun and heatstroke is a health and safety issue; shelter under a big old tree if there is a light shower (not an electrical storm) is a health and safety issue, etc.

Preventing people sitting under these trees is sadistic jobsworth nonsense and just rams home the fact that unemployables anywhere else get employed by Councils.

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ferryboy says...
3:23pm Thu 6 Sep 12

HJarr:- contradiction there mate

"This story sounds like a typical Tory plant in order to further knock health and safety legislation"

I am glad to see that the "Government over these last two and a half years have been actively working to ensure common sense is at the heart of how we apply health and safety regulations".

Have the Tories not been the government for the last 2.5 years.

Regrettably it's probably the council using the old H&S mantra as a cop out. Silly as usual and as for Jeremy Clarkson - keep it up son I'm with you!

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Crystal Ball says...
3:26pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Where will the tramps, dogs and ladies of the night sleep now?

Everyone will have to stand. All of the time. Indefinitely.

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BiggerH says...
3:36pm Thu 6 Sep 12

to be fair, it'd be healthier and safer for everyone if the whole of Crawley was removed, not just the benches

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voiceofthescoombe says...
3:38pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Tbf the snowdon handrails.
Came about due to a rather stupid attempt to use industrial working at heights rules.
To the outdoor pursuits industry.
It did get sorted but there was a load of derp till it was.

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F in L says...
4:41pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Why do they not just cut the trees down? Simples!

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D.T.W. says...
5:08pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Any chance we can get HSE to remove Caroline Lucas ?

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Whelts says...
5:19pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Why do people get the 'Law' mistaken for 'Civil Liability'? The law simply says that risks should be reduced. However, many safety 'professionals' (not necessarily what I would call them) believe this to be, reduce the risk using whatever methods possible, just in case they get sued. It's nothing to do with the law.

As a retired Registered Safety Practitioner I get fed up with these 'jobs worths' making 'health and safety' a laughing stock.

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Roundbill says...
5:58pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Well, if opportunist proles didn't attempt to sue every time their own foolhardiness caused them injury, then maybe local authorities wouldn't be so paranoid about litigation.

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Roger Francais says...
6:16pm Thu 6 Sep 12

... erm pardon me folks, but just WHO on earth would want to sit on a bench... in a park... in Crawley?

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nocando says...
8:18pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Taxpayers money being wisely spent (spunked) as usual.There's so much scope for these 'savage cuts' wish they'd hurry up and take a big sharp axe to pompous, expensive officialdom and keep using it until councils stop including the salaries of jobsworths with clipboards in their monumental budgets.

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John Steed says...
10:19pm Thu 6 Sep 12

no doubt its because of concerns about sitting on cold seats and getting piles

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Fairfax Sakes says...
9:06am Fri 7 Sep 12

HJarrs wrote:
This story sounds like a typical Tory plant in order to further knock health and safety legislation that protects us. Create controversy where none exists.

I am glad to see that the "Government over these last two and a half years have been actively working to ensure common sense is at the heart of how we apply health and safety regulations". As there is no common sense shown anywhere else and certainly not Lansley's reforms to soften up the NHS for privatisation to his cronies.
We can't afford the NHS any more, and unless you are prepared to pay more taxes, then something has to be doen to reform. Totally free healthcare is a fundamentally unfair principle anyway-shurely people should contribute something (say one quarter) to the costs they incur! That'll cut out the sicknote hypochondriac types for a start.

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Lewesroadresident says...
12:10pm Fri 7 Sep 12

Who says we can't afford the NHS? No offence but I doubt you're qualified to decide that from a professional viewpoint, not to mention the fact that whether we can afford it or not is a decision for the electorate to make.

The NHS is not totally free- it is paid for by taxpayers. NI was introduced specifically to pay for it.

Your statement that totally free healthcare is fundamentally unfair is bizarre. The suggestion you put forward would mean that if you had the misfortune to be diagnosed with a hard to treat form of cancer, even paying 25% of the costs could bankrupt you. If you had a different type of cancer caught at an earlier stage treatment could be much cheaper- how is that fair? Universal healthcare, free at the point of access, is the only acceptable (and fair) method of providing healthcare and should be adopted worldwide. It is a disgrace that people in the richest country in the world die for want of basic healthcare because they can't afford treatment. Is that what you want to happen in the UK?

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