Myth: Health and safety is a threat to village fetes

July 2009

The reality

If you believe everything you read, health and safety is to blame for lots of fun events being cancelled. Plastic duck races, village fetes and even morris dancing have all allegedly fallen victim to excessive health and safety regulations.

People often assume that the rules are so complex they make it too much effort to organise an event. But when managed sensibly, health and safety shouldn’t (and doesn’t) stop things happening.

As part of a well-run event, good planning and practical actions help to make sure that things go smoothly. The important thing is to make sure that health and safety is fit for purpose and acted upon. It certainly isn’t about cancelling events – we’re here to save lives, not stop them.

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