Cameron blitz on health and safety

Dec 1 2009

David Cameron is to pledge a crackdown on Britain's "over-the-top" health and safety culture.

The Tory leader is to hit out at Labour for allowing a "blanket of bureaucracy, suspicion and fear" to descend on the country.

He will announce a wide-ranging review of the "all-pervasive" problem in a speech to the Policy Exchange think-tank. Those who act in "good faith" could be given greater protection from being sued or prosecuted, while small businesses and voluntary organisations could have their health and safety responsibilities reduced.

Mr Cameron is to say that there are often "noble" intentions behind health and safety rules, and he will admit that legislation has saved many lives. But he will add: "I think we'd all concede that something has gone seriously wrong with the spirit of health and safety in the past decade. When children are made to wear goggles by their headteacher to play conkers. When trainee hairdressers are not allowed scissors in the classroom.

"When office workers are banned from moving a chair without expert supervision. When staff at a railway station don't help a young mum carry her baby son's buggy because they are not insured. When village fetes are cancelled because residents can't face jumping through all the bureaucratic hoops.

"It is clear that what began as a noble intention to protect people from harm has mutated into a stultifying blanket of bureaucracy, suspicion and fear that has saturated our country, covering the actions of millions of individuals as they go about their daily lives."

Mr Cameron will blame bureaucracy from Brussels and Westminster for many of the issues. The "fear of transgressing all these rules" sometimes caused people to "stand aside when others need help," he will say.

He will cite the death of Jordan Lyon in September 2007 as an example, saying the 10-year-old "drowned in a pond, having rescued his young sister, because police officers were told not to intervene as they hadn't undertaken their 'water rescue' health and safety training".

He will also highlight a recent study suggesting that the UK had spent £35 billion complying with EU employment, health and safety law.

Mr Cameron will call for changes to the laws governing compensation claims, although he will stop short of demanding an end to "no win no fee" arrangements.