Long time, no write

I've been neglecting this, been very busy, but that's no excuse. Some highlights of the past couple of months:

HSE strategy launch
Then secretary of state of work and pensions James Purnell introducing the strategy in a distracted manner (he resigned the next day). Also Judith Hackitt's thousand-yard stare at the Q&A when Health and Safety Bulletin editor Howard Fidderman asked her why the only employer featured on the video to promote the strategy was Corus, whose health and safety record in recent years has been ... chequered.

RoSPA Congress
Bizarre sight of Tom Mullarkey interviewing HSE chief exec Geoffrey Podger in the manner of Ali G. Mullarkey was trying to make Podger touch fists with him and say "booyakasha!" Podger, wisely, refused to join in.

Safety & Health Expo in Birmingham
Lively, but predictably far quieter than in previous years. About 1/3 down on exhibitors and I'd guess the same on visitors. Difficult to tell how much of this is recession and how much the impact of competition from alternatives such as the Western Publishing regional shows in Sandown, Bolton and, soon, Edinburgh.

First corporate manslaughter charge
Everyone has already covered the ground about the defendant being a small company, so not really the kind the new law was intended to catch, see here. But a secondary wrinkle is the fact that if the prosecution succeeds, without any finalised guidelines on sentencing the judge might decide to follow the last draft guidance and set a fine at 5% of the company's annual turnover. That would be under £20,000, almost certainly lower than if the case had proceeded under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

I'll not leave it so long in future.

Louis