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Before we start, please be aware that if you choose to enjoy a beverage while reading this article, remember that hot drinks can cause injury if spilt.

Also, if it is your prerogative to print the article for later reading, remember that paper can have sharp edges and could lacerate your fingers if not handled with care.

Reading Coaster Kingdom is like taming lions. It is risky and fraught with danger. You see, in these litigious times I have a certain obligation to highlight the occupational hazards associated with reading this site, and having warned you of certain perils, feel I can now continue safe in the knowledge that our dear readers are as safe as can be.

From the moment we’re born into the arms of this cruel, cruel world, we face many dangers and obstacles, and human nature is normally to avoid these dangers. Human instinct guards you against accidents, and acquires knowledge on what risks are associated with what actions. If you scald your tongue on sipping a hot drink, you won’t just carry on drinking – instinct protects you and you learn to wait for a minute or two until it has cooled down a bit.

Another human instinct is to protect others. If a friend goes to cross the road into the path of the number 13 bus, you’ll reach out and stop them. In fact, humans have gone further to create companies and government departments to protect our welfare and make sure that as we blissfully go about our business, we do so in a manner that is unlikely to lead to injury or death.

The Health and Safety Executive is a government department that regulates the risks associated with work activity in Britain. The HSE have been made scapegoats for the assertion that the UK is becoming a bureaucratic nanny state; a ‘nanny state’ being a country with an excessive interest in the welfare of its citizens, much like a nanny guarding her beloved grandchild.

So why on earth do people take offence and ridicule what could ultimately save their life?

Well, managing the day-to-day risks we face means that we have to adapt our lives to criteria set by the Health and Safety Executive. As more risks are identified, we are told that things we have always done have risks associated with them and are no longer allowed.

The Health and Safety Executive has forged many important changes in the workplace, though. It means that it is your employer’s duty to safeguard your welfare and make sure you work in a safe and comfortable environment. Continues...