Letter from HSE's Chair, Judith Hackitt to Daily Mail newspaper

HSE Chair Judith Hackitt’s response to a Daily Mail article (2 July) on the activity of a campaign group protesting against the 'proliferation of nannying health and safety notices'

Dear Sir,

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) agrees wholeheartedly with the sentiments of the article (Daily Mail 2 July, p.23) in which the Manifesto Club opposes the ‘vast expansion of pseudo-safety signage which does not warn about real risks...’

We have always said that safety signs are useful when there's a significant risk which can't be avoided or controlled in any other way, but too many, flagging up every possible risk, however trivial, is just a guarantee that nobody will read them.

The issue actually featured as our ‘Myth of the Month’ back in December 2007. This is part of our approach to show that far from being ‘elf n’ safety busybodies’, we encourage a common sense approach to health and safety in Great Britain.

All our ‘Myth of the Months’ can be viewed at www.hse.gov.uk/myth

'Yours faithfully,

Judith Hackitt
Chair, Health and Safety Executive
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
Liverpool
L20 7HS