HEALTH and safety is not about placing unnecessary burdens on business or stopping people having fun.

It’s about ensuring employees go home safely and often helps thrill seekers enjoy their activities in an environment that minimises risk – that’s the message from the new joint chairmen of the Herefordshire Health and Safety Group (HHSG).

Both Dave Baldwin and Emma Righton-Corrick revel in hobbies many see as hazardous, but do so in the knowledge they operate in a controlled environment.

“Emma’s passion is motorbikes, especially off-roading, and I have been involved in grasstrack and speedway racing as a mechanic,”

said Mr Baldwin, who works as a health and safety manager for Taylor Lane, based in Rotherwas.

“We both enjoy sports that could be considered dangerous and health and safety plays a huge part in these. Sport has given me a far wider perspective to problems and these can be linked to industry.

“In Formula One there has been a huge amount of innovation that has been rolled out to the car industry. It’s one of the most dangerous sports that has been made relatively safe.”

Mr Baldwin admits health and safety has suffered from an image problem, with more extreme edicts hitting the headlines.

“We are trying to get away from this stale and staid approach to health and safety,” he said.

“Sometimes it can be a case of bureaucracy gone mad, instead of having a balanced view and complementing the law.

“Sometimes all employers can see is increased costs but that does not have to be the case. The basis of it is to reduce accidents and ill health. We want to send people home from work in the same state as when they arrived.”

Mr Baldwin believes the current economic downturn can be used to improve workplace health and safety and the HHSG can help with this.

“It’s an opportunity for companies to press ahead with health and safety if there are slack times.

There could be a temptation to cut back on this, which would be totally wrong,” said Mr Baldwin.

“The worst consequences of a health and safety failure are death, disability and a lower quality of life.

“We can give advice about training and where to obtain it. All the major companies in Herefordshire are members and we have more than 100.”

The group has also recently been highly commended by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for the high standards of its communications and any companies wanting to join can call Mike Burge on 01432 350223.