Much has been written in recent years about the increasing madness of Health & Safety legislation, and I’m afraid that Spain is no exception.

In the workplace it’s quite obvious that no one wants to return to the days when small boys were sent up chimneys to clean them, and everyone recognises that there are many workplaces such as factories and construction sites which are dangerous and where regular health and safety checks must continue. The problem occurs when we treat everyday environments such as shops, offices and even wine cellars as if they were chemical plants full of bubbling cauldrons of explosive substances. It appears that we now obsessed by actively seeking potential danger, even in places where it doesn’t really exist.

I’m sure that by now you have realised the reason behind today’s post – our bodega has just undergone it’s own risk assessment, where some dubious dangers were uncovered, and odd recommendations put forward. Taking our tractors as an example, it was pointed out that our older tractor still requires to have a roll-bar fitted, which we accept, and which is clearly necessary. However, the suggestion that both tractors need fire extinguishers, was slightly more of a puzzle. My personal opinion is that it might be more dangerous to encourage our employees to tackle a fire, rather than to simply stand well back and wait for the fire services.

Health and safety is also responsible for changes in our school policies too. Some sports and playground activities have been curtailed on the grounds that they are now deemed too dangerous, despite having been enjoyed more or less safely for generations. I say ‘more or less’ because there will always be accidents, no matter how many precautions are taken, and this is just a fact of life that has to be accepted. The problem is that we simply can’t legislate for every eventuality.

 Having said all this, I am actually wearing a hard hat as I type this, just as a safety precaution!

Much has been written in recent years about the increasing madness of Health & Safety legislation, and I’m afraid that Spain is no exception.

In the workplace it’s quite obvious that no one wants to return to the days when small boys were sent up chimneys to clean them, and everyone recognises that there are many workplaces such as factories and construction sites which are dangerous and where regular health and safety checks must continue. The problem occurs when we treat everyday environments such as shops, offices and even wine cellars as if they were chemical plants full of bubbling cauldrons of explosive substances. It appears that we now obsessed by actively seeking potential danger, even in places where it doesn’t really exist.

I’m sure that by now you have realised the reason behind today’s post – our bodega has just undergone it’s own risk assessment, where some dubious dangers were uncovered, and odd recommendations put forward. Taking our tractors as an example, it was pointed out that our older tractor still requires to have a roll-bar fitted, which we accept, and which is clearly necessary. However, the suggestion that both tractors need fire extinguishers, was slightly more of a puzzle. My personal opinion is that it might be more dangerous to encourage our employees to tackle a fire, rather than to simply stand well back and wait for the fire services.

Health and safety is also responsible for changes in our school policies too. Some sports and playground activities have been curtailed on the grounds that they are now deemed too dangerous, despite having been enjoyed more or less safely for generations. I say ‘more or less’ because there will always be accidents, no matter how many precautions are taken, and this is just a fact of life that has to be accepted. The problem is that we simply can’t legislate for every eventuality.

 Having said all this, I am actually wearing a hard hat as I type this, just as a safety precaution!