Health and safety and very very short skirts

This coverage appeared on BBC ‘Look North’ on 5 October 2011, with a school official blaming a skirt ban on health and safety. David Hampson, Chief Executive of the Tollbar Academy said: "There is a health and safety issue in this day and age with young ladies and very, very short skirts."
HSE Chair Judith Hackitt responded this week saying: "This is one of the worst examples we've seen of health and safety being used in completely the wrong context. There is nothing in health and safety legislation that allows schools to ban hemlines that aren't to a school's liking. Child protection and avoiding the sexualisation of young girls is important but it is a very different matter to preventing death, injury and ill health in the workplace which is what health and safety legislation aims to do. There are too many examples of health and safety being blatantly used as an excuse and we will continue to challenge it at every turn."
CRS says that schools are repeat myth-makers on health and safety. Banning school trips and sports days present safety in the wrong context to both students and parents, and we recommend that they should consult a properly-qualified health and safety professional for sensible safety advice. This generally means someone with Chartered membership (CMIOSH / CFIOSH) of the UK professional body IOSH.

CRS says that schools are repeat myth-makers on health and safety. Banning school trips and sports days present safety in the wrong context to both students and parents, and we recommend that they should consult a properly-qualified health and safety professional for sensible safety advice. This generally means someone with Chartered membership (CMIOSH / CFIOSH) of the UK professional body IOSH.