Comments

• December 4th, 2008 - 9:26pmNatalie Pates said...

  Even from the perspective of a law student this is simply hysterical! It has genuinely brightened my day because of how rediculous this society has become and just how passionate these inspectors really are about enforcing such extreme rules! I'm shocked, appauled and, strangely, amused by the whole thing!

  Natalie.

• December 8th, 2008 - 12:34pmDru Marsh said...

  I was rather disappointed by Nick Hornby's polemic on workplace safety. At first it appeared as though the point was to paint a picture of the more ridiculous aspects of workplace safety. A cheap shot at an institution that our macho culture generally scoffs at as pedantic imposition on personal freedom and responsibility. However, as the show progressed and we were given the benefit of some of the motivations behind the various inspectors (the workplace experiences of Mr Friend's father, the council inspectors almost motherly torment of a man who cares little for his own safety) I began to see a potentially powerful message coming through. The experience of the inspector who had to talk through the avoidable death of a husband and father was the highpoint in this respect. After all, stupid as some rules may be - they are aimed at ensuring that a person does not compromise their life to earn a living. Its a nanny-state mainly because employers consistently demonstrate an inability to appreciate the simple fact that a worker will compromise his or her own safety when faced with the alternative prospect of losing their employment. Unfortunately, if Nick's message was to lure us in by laughing then slowly reveal the true motivation of workplace safety, he spent too much time on the cheap gags and not enough time on revealing this truth. I think the final word should have been from a victim's relatives - after all - its that continued failure that accounts for the imposition of the seemingly ridiculous - not the behaviour of over zealous inspectors.

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