It appears that has been a bit of 'off-court' backhand rallying taking place between some big hitters in the Safety and Tennis worlds last week. During the first week of the prestigious Wimbledon event there was media reports that the All England Lawn Tennis Club (who run Wimbledon) had denied tennis fans the ability to watch the action on a large screen from the grassy hill known as 'Murray Mound'. It appears they had made the decision on the basis of 'health and safety', during a period of heavy rain, as they did not want the fans to injure themselves by slipping on the wet grass.  Incensed by the media reports, and what she say as health and safety being used as an excuse yet again, the Chair of the Health and Safety Executive, Judith Hackitt wrote an open letter to the AELTC. She stated "There is nothing in health and safety legislation which prohibits the continued broadcasting of centre-court action to the crowds on the hill during the rain.... If [you were] concerned about people slipping and suing for their injuries the message should have made clear the decision was ‘on insurance grounds." However the Chief of the AELTC quickly responded claiming it was inappropriate for the HSE Chair to write an open letter in such manner without due information or making relevant enquiries as to the decision. He added "The decision was indeed based on the grounds of the safety of those present and was made by relevant professionals who have a substantial experience of the terrace and the event."

Whether we agree with the HSE or the AELTC, the matter that concerns me is that we live in a society where the HSE feels that it has to go on the offensive ('as the best form of defense') when the media is very quick to report on 'public fun' being spoiled on the basis of health and safety. Having worked in event safety for a number of years, sometimes it is extremely important to make hard decisions in the interests of participant and spectator safety, which may appear to be spoiling the fun. Unfortunately such decisions get mixed in with the 'unreasonable' judgements where health and safety is used as an excuse and the media seem to love telling us about (to fuel the fire).

At SMC we believe in pragmatic health and safety management and have been working with many event organisers to ensure the successful and safe running of their events to the enjoyment of all those involved. We hope this continues....