25 signatures reached
To: Westminster Policitians
Health and Safety - What about Common Sense?
Debate the issue of health and safety which is stifling innovation, experimentation, adventure and any form of risk taking. It is controlled by the judiciary and the insurance companies who are making a fortune from litigation and is costing all services, health, education etc large sums of money employing people to ensure that no risks are taken and taking out insurance cover against potential litigation. Common sense has been abandoned.
Why is this important?
We run the risk that young people in particular will be so protected from risk that they don't grow up having "tested the boundaries".
Since 1985 the Marlborough Brandt Group, a small charity in Marlborough Wiltshire, has sent over 1000 young people from our secondary schools to live with families and work in our link community of Gunjur in The Gambia, West Africa alongside young Gambians. All of these young people have benefited from this experience in terms of their personal and professional development and their understanding of the world beyond their community. Health and safety now dictates that a) we spend large sums of our charitable money for insurance cover b) large amounts of time conducting a risk analysis, which is almost meaningless in a rural African context and c) we consider stopping the programme and thus depriving young people of an extraordinary life-changing experience.
This is a national issue and must be debated or our young in UK will be deprived a proper, well-rounded education.
