Message is ‘adventures are cool’ as Brazier stokes risk debate

With his proposals, announced today, to encourage more adventure training and sports activities, Julian Brazier MP has helped fuel a much needed debate on the causes of risk and liability aversion and the need to create a more ‘risk intelligent’ society.

That’s the view of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the leading body for health and safety professionals, as it prepares to meet Lord Young, later this month, as part of his Party review of health and safety issues.

IOSH has worked hard to help young people learn how to take educated risks and become more risk aware. Its work in this area has been driven by the stark, tragic facts that 61 of those who died in the workplace over the last decade were under 19, while more than 14,000 teenagers suffered major injury.

The professional body is concerned that our society appears to be losing confidence when it comes to managing day-to-day risk and that more opportunities need to be made to allow young people, especially, to experience structured risk-taking and to develop self reliance. This is felt to be particularly important in terms of preparing young people for everyday risks in the workplace.

“We all know that risk is part of life and so we can’t continue to wrap our young people up in cotton wool,” said IOSH President, John Holden.

“We also know that all of us have to experience situations of risk if we’re to learn how to handle ourselves and be responsible for other people’s safety. Adventure training and sports activities present excellent and enjoyable platforms for young people to learn these lessons, develop risk awareness and confidence and so get into good life habits.

“Many valuable life skills and benefits can be gained from learning to cope with risks in a managed environment, so it’s important this is encouraged as much as possible” he added.

Examples of extensive IOSH campaigning to promote health and safety education include:

Co-sponsoring the Risk Factory in Edinburgh – a centre for exciting educational safety programmes
Launching Wiseup2work, in 2006, an award-winning website that provides free teaching resources for young people and teachers, including the IOSH Workplace Hazard Awareness Course
Issuing the challenge in the IOSH health and safety manifesto (‘Creating a healthier UK plc’) headed: ‘Creating a risk intelligent society’

www.iosh.co.uk