NANNY STATE

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After two years and £250,000, a crack team of health and safety experts found that ten-pin bowling alleys up and down the country could be a 'very dangerous' environment for families. They concluded that it was too easy for children or teenagers to run down lanes and get trapped in machinery that sets up the pins, even though there was no record of any such accident having happened. The bizarre Health and Safety Executive report found that members of the public would be at risk if they walked along the 60-foot lanes to knock over pins by hand.

Its authors even considered ordering every bowling alley to put barriers across lanes but they were forced to admit defeat - after realising that bowlers must be able to see what they are aiming at. Their report said, "Because customers need to see the pins and bowling balls entering the machine, managing the risk of access into the machine from the lanes is more difficult." Instead they have told operators to fit photoelectric beams to lanes so that pin-setting machines will cut off automatically if anyone trespasses.

John Ashbridge, of The Ten-Pin Bowling Proprietors Association, said, "I have been in this industry for 40 years and I have never known any member of the public injured by a bowling pinsetter. I have never heard of anybody going near the pins." He said he had watched HSE inspectors examining a bowling centre and he found their attempts to detect possible dangers 'hilarious'. He added, "Some operators have now fitted photoelectric beams. They don't cause any problems, they don't stop the machines because nobody ever goes near the pins."

The HSE inquiry was begun after a technician was crushed to death in 2006 in Barking, East London, when a pin-setting machine was mistakenly left plugged in. The two-year investigation also concluded that staff must wear earmuffs to mask the noise of balls hitting pins. An HSE spokesman said, "The investigation revealed that the machinery used nationally in bowling alleys did not have adequate safety features." Susie Squire, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said, "The HSE has overreacted to a one-off tragedy by wasting a fortune of taxpayers' money producing a pointless, naval-gazing report." (Source: Daily Mail, Nov/09)

Pupils at Bramhall High School in Stockport, Greater Manchester, have been banned from wearing knotted ties - because they are a health risk. They are being warned they must now wear clip-ons or face being sent home. Senior teachers claim trailing ties during lessons such as science and woodwork could lead to serious injuries and that clip-ons look smarter because they have to be worn with a fastened collar.

Headteacher John Peckham said, "We have been selling clip-on ties for more than a year in an effort to phase this in. But we are now at the stage where older pupils are wearing old and dirty ties because they don't want to replace them. Pupils can take precautions during technical lessons where there is machinery but it is the unexpected factors, such as running and having their ties pulled, that could be a problem. We also feel it is smarter because older children will not wear the ties in a casual way."

He added, "This is in line with places like Marks & Spencer, the police and the armed forces." Nick Seaton, chair of the Campaign for Real Education, said, "Pupils have worn ties for as long as I can remember and I have never heard of one causing an accident in all that time. When lessons involve machinery or naked flames, pupils are told to tuck their ties in or take them off. Risks that are serious you should obviously take precautions against but students shouldn't be told to live their life afraid of everyday objects." (Source: Daily Mirror, Mar/07)

Pallbearers are being asked to sign waiver forms in case they hurt their backs carrying the coffin into church. Funeral directors are so worried about them slipping a disc and then suing for compensation that they are insisting relatives or friends who want to shoulder the coffin confirm in writing before the ceremony starts that they are aware of the risk. Dominic Maguire, of the National Association of Funeral Directors, said, "When volunteer pallbearers present themselves, they may appear robust but it is only sensible for the funeral director to ask for their signatures. Funeral directors should use their discretion but I expect this to become a routine procedure in the near future."

Geoff Hinton, manager of James Pidgeon & Son, the undertakers at Mr Hole's funeral, said, "A lot of firms are doing this now because the health-and-safety rules are so strict. People are getting heavier and a solid coffin can be a considerable weight. The pallbearers at Mr Hole's funeral were elderly and we thought it was our responsibility to ensure they knew the risks involved." A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said, "This would be a civil liability issue and is nothing to do with the HSE. But it is worth pointing out that waiver forms have no force in law and would not absolve an organisation from responsibility." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Dec/06)

Schoolchildren, some as young as seven, from the Royal High School in Bath, were left to cross a busy road on their own when their lollipop man went off sick. Teachers were banned from helping them by health and safety officials who ruled that teachers were not sufficiently trained to take over.

Head Helen Fathers said, "We have been told not to help because the individual would be personally liable for any accidents. Staff would be very happy to do it, but we have to do what the council tell us because the road is not part of the school, so we're not insured on it."

A council spokesman said, "A series of rigorous checks and training procedures is in place to ensure that anyone employed to carry out crossing patrol duties meets a number of requirements. It is for these reasons that the council itself cannot provide or authorise an untrained volunteer to staff the crossing." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Oct/06)

Town hall chiefs cordoned off two pear trees in case their fruit falls on people despite the fact the 30ft trees have stood in a city park for 50 years without any problems. A team of council workmen put up security tape and a plastic barrier to stop anyone going near them and signs have been screwed to each tree saying: “Warning, pears falling!”

Officials acted after receiving a complaint the trees are a health hazard. They fear the council could be sued if anyone is injured by a pear in Cripplegate Park, St John’s, Worcester. The council’s parks and cemeteries manager Ian Yates said, “There are some sizeable pears and not everyone is going to be passing thinking a pear might fall on them, especially children. These signs divert people away from the danger. (Source: The Sun, Oct/06)

A vilage fete has been told it must commission a risk assessment before its local choir is allowed to sing in the parish church. Terrington in North Yorkshire is planning a grand celebration next summer to mark ten years of work by its local arts group, with All Saints Church a key venue. But the festival's steering committee has been told that before it can go ahead it must carry out detailed assessments of every potential risk in every location across the village where the scores of events will be held.

Ian Hughes, the village postmaster and one of the organisers, blamed today's litigation culture for making it almost impossible to hold free local events. "The world's getting crazy," said Mr Hughes. "We have concerts in the church without any trouble but we were told for the first time this year that absolutely every last thing has to have a risk assessment done to try and limit our liability. I appreciate the importance of self-policing and trying to concentrate our minds on potential problems, but this is madness. I guess that's how life is these days. It's because of the culture we live in these days where the slightest thing can get you sued."

Bristol City Council has banned doormats and ordered tenants to remove them or risk having them taken away. A letter entitled "Health and Safety Issues - Hazardous Mats" reads: "During a routine Health and Safety inspection of the block, it was noted that loose mats were present in hallways/corridors outside of people's flats."

It continued, "These represent a 'tripping hazard' and should be removed immediately. By all means have your own mats inside your front door but please do not leave them outside, creating a risk to others. Therefore, I am requesting that if you have a mat outside, it is removed. Any mat remaining in the hallways/corridors will be removed and subsequently disposed of."

Bristol City Council insisted doormats could pose a hazard if there was a need to evacuate a council-owned building. A spokeswoman said, "We know that asking people to remove mats is not popular, but it is important that corridors in council properties are kept clear, as they are a means of escape from fire.

Mats are a trip hazard, particularly as many properties are occupied by older people or people with disabilities. This is not a new policy, it has been around for the last 20 years at least, but on a recent inspection we noticed some mats had crept back so we've reminded tenants to remove them." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Sep/06)