Employers must start looking at health and safety as a commercial benefit not as a burden, according to Bob Towse, head of technical and safety at the HVCA .
The general public has a strange view of health and safety. It has become tarnished by a few examples of over-zealous officials dubbed the fun police for banning conkers in playgrounds and candles in restaurants.

People also tend to underestimate the extent of workplace accidents. While the rate has fallen steadily during the past 30 years, thousands of people still die every year from accidents at work and many more are made seriously ill.

It is still a vital issue and is central to the prosperity of every company in our sector. People are our biggest overhead but also our biggest asset, and keeping them safe at work also keeps them productive. Any management team considering cutting back on health and safety to help them through the economic downturn should think again.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched a new strategy last month called 'Be Part of the Solution', which emphasises the common sense approach to risk management and highlights the business benefits of having a sound health and safety policy.

According to research released alongside the new strategy, 90% of business leaders say that people are their organisation's most important asset and 65% of employees say that good health and safety practices make them feel valued and, therefore, motivated.

However, the recession could make some workplaces more dangerous, according to the HSE. 'More than a quarter of business leaders say that their organisation will face pressure to cut spending on health and safety this year,' the research said.

'This is not only potentially dangerous but could also be bad for business; nearly eight in ten business leaders acknowledge that good health and safety standards are beneficial. In part, this is because the cost of preventing accidents is almost always less than the costs associated with an accident once it happens.'

Almost half of Britain's workers know someone who has been injured at work but those asked by the researchers guessed that around 3,000 people were killed or seriously injured at work last year. The true number is 137,000 - more than 45 times higher, according to the HSE.

The fact that employees underestimate the scale of the problem suggests many do not treat the issue as seriously as they should - the trivial incidents that the national press takes such delight in reporting have fostered this attitude.

The best way to reclaim health and safety from the fun police is to ensure company strategies are focused on the very real risks posed by certain workplaces.

The HVCA sector has more than its fair share of potential hazards and management needs to take the initiative. The HSE has targeted this by urging company bosses to sign up to its pledge and 'Be Part of the Solution' by imposing high standards of risk management and a top-down safety culture.

There is nothing silly or frivolous about injuries at work, particularly in our industry. The jobsworths have much to answer for by giving ammunition to the press to trivialise the subject but employers and staff also have a responsibility.

They must see the silly stories for what they are and ensure they do not cloud their judgement when it comes to the things that really matter.