Times letter: "Dangerous gardening - A shortfall in common sense?"

Date:

16 July 2008

Judith Hackitt , HSE Chair, responds

• Times article: "Courtesy can damage your health"

Sir,

No need to speculate on what 'health and safety' would say about gardening being introduced as a subject in the schools curriculum - we welcome it. We are on record already making it clear that we believe children should engage in practical activities in schools and learn how to handle the risks associated with them - including not resting the fork on top of your shoes!

Our statistics clearly show that all aspects of agriculture can benefit from early learning of the right way to do the job.

Judith Hackitt
Chair, Health and Safety Executive
Rose Court,
2 Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HS