Who are "elf n' safety" people?
Health and Safety is the subject of derision in many quarters, from hyperbolical headlines in the tabloid press to the rants of Top Gear presenter and journalist Jeremy Clarkson. A recent programme on Channel 4 called The Fun Police followed a safety professional discussing various everyday “dangers” such as hanging baskets, complete with comedy oompah music dubbed over to emphasise the questionable nature of his observations.
The popular media appears very keen to tell us what
to think about “elf n’ safety”. Here Stephen Thomas,
Safety Expert at Croner Consulting, discusses who
the health and safety people are and what motivates
them.
Spotting a competent safety professional
So who is a safety professional? They can be
identified first by their qualifications, eg the National
Examination Board in Occupational Safety and
Health (NEBOSH) Diploma in Occupational Safety
and Health, NVQ Level 4 in Occupational Health
and Safety Practice or an equivalent qualification.