We Cannot Eliminate Risk And Some Accidents Are Inevitable

These words from David Cameron in 2012: "We need to realise, collectively, we cannot eliminate risk and that some accidents are inevitable"; has created a culture of 'Risk encouragement and accident prevention intolerance' in the eyes of the public and within businesses across the whole country.

He also stated that his aim was to: "kill off the health and safety culture for good."

In his 2012 speech to a meeting of small businesses in Maidenhead, he declared that Health and safety legislation has become an "albatross around the neck of British businesses", adding the lie that it is costing them billions of pounds a year and leaving entrepreneurs in fear of speculative claims.

He had already told the Health and Safety Executive to bring forward its timetable for abolishing or consolidating up to half of all existing regulations, by the end of 2012.

"This coalition has a clear new year's resolution: to kill off the health and safety culture for good." along with, "I want 2012 to go down in history not just as Olympics year or Diamond Jubilee year, but the year we get a lot of this pointless time-wasting out of the British economy and British life once and for all."; are words that have come back to haunt him and are at the heart of the attitudes of business towards their responsibilities to both employees and the public. Effectively, any concerns for health and safety are mere red tape that needs to be cut and ignored.

Moves to tackle the so-called, and non-existent, compensation culture was part of a general assault on health and safety 'red tape' following the 2010 Young Report and the Lofstedt Report of 2011 into how to minimise the burden of regulation. With regard to the latter, the author later castigated the government for distorting his conclusions in his report which clearly did NOT suggest a bonfire of health and safety regulation.

Cameron's and subsequent governments is responsible for the current callous attitude towards both the public and employees by UK business in general. From the small business to the large multi-nationals operating in the UK, the health, safety and welfare of not only employees, but also of the public is being ignored in the strive for profits and cost-cutting.

Prior to the setting up of the so-called 'Red Tape Challenge' by the Tory government of 2012; Cameron had the above words to say about health and safety in general, and more. Here is an excerpt of his Maidenhead speech about the 'health and safety monster':

 

Whilst Cameron himself is not personally responsible for the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, he certainly is responsible for setting the scene of cost cutting, health and safety legilsation hating, and profit maximisation by British businesses.

He clearly laid the foundations for such a terrible and needless loss of human life.

Source: The Independent / BBC / Unionsafety

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