From DAVID MORRIS
John Emsley presents a curious argument (‘An accidental waste of time’,
Forum, 9 March). He says that holders of BSc degrees must accept some responsibility
for their own actions in laboratories. Of course-everyone must accept responsibility
for their actions.
But it takes a long and illogical leap to get from that truism to his
main argument, which appears to be that the Health and Safety Executive
is imposing unnecessary or inappropriate controls on laboratory workers.
I feel sure that the HSE will be able to justify the advice it gives.
In my experience its distaste for unnecessary paperwork is as great as anyone
else’s. My interest is in Emsley’s faith in bachelor degrees as a basis
for safe working.
My society has been concerned for many years about the inadequacies
of tertiary education in preparing ‘qualified’ people for controlling danger.
Many first degrees, even in ‘high risk’ fields such as chemical and civil
engineering, pay astonishingly little attention to risk assessment and control.
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To assume that holders of first degrees are automatically qualified
to recognise the hazards and assess the risk arising from their lab work,
and to devise and apply appropriate controls is a recipe for disaster.
As our 1989 report Education and Training in Health and Safety: The
Neglected Imperative makes clear, effective health and safety education
should be an integral part of tertiary education. When it is, then Emsley’s
approach may have more justification. But even then, prudent research managers
will need a system for ensuring that adequate consideration of health and
safety has formed part of the project planning, and that supervisors are
aware of their responsibilities, both moral and legal, for students in their
charge.
David Morris, Chairman British Health and Safety Society Aston University
Birmingham
