The House of Commons begins its summer recess later this month, which means that 'Silly Season' is almost upon us once more. Sily Season is that time of year when newspapers, in lieu of any important parliamentary developments to follow, start writing about any frivolous non-story they can get their hands on - prepare to see a lot of scaremongering, false moral panics, and general nonsense over the next couple of months as the papers desperately try to keep their readers interested.
Sadly, another staple of Silly Season is the 'elf and safety gone mad' story. Here's a good example from the Evening Express website, published a week ago:
Here's the problem: Aberdeen City Council may or may not be in the wrong here, but the newspaper is using the dispute to reinforce the idea that health and safety is here to ruin everyone's fun, rather than to save our lives. This play equipment story is a relatively tame example, too; far sillier stories made the news last summer, with everything from Frisbees to strawberry sauce reportedly being banned for health and safety reasons.
We're not just blaming the newspapers here. After all, these ridiculous stories make for rather funny reading, and the vast majority are true - many companies do use health and safety as an excuse for bizarre, nonsensical decisions, and that's clearly the root of this problem. Even so, newspapers make matters far worse by devoting column inches to these daft stories; if the British public are constantly being told that health and safety is stupid, it won't be long before they start believing it.
For instance, have you ever heard someone complain about the 'nanny state' or dismiss important safety measures as 'unnecessary red tape'? If so, you've already witnessed the effect that silly 'elf and safety' stories can have on people's attitudes. Stories like that one from the Evening Express teach us that health and safety is exclusively for spoilsports and wet blankets, when in fact health and safety regulations - the real ones, mind you - are in place to protect us.
So, this Silly Season, ignore any reports of 'elf and safety gone mad' and instead spread the word about why health and safety is so utterly important to the Great British public. Safety signs, warning labels, and all those other safety precautions are there for a reason, and sometimes the silly stories can make us forget that!
More health and safety insight here.
Newspaper photo by Jon S
