The problems of support staff workload

Wandering around the stunning Transylvanian countryside recently I saw blokes with no safety glasses hacking at trees with chainsaws as splinters flew around, scarily precarious complex ladder systems and death defying taxi driving.

All of which brought out my inner health and safety geek. However, I was assured by locals that working conditions have been improving in recent times as EU legislation has begun to be followed. Nonetheless it made me ponder on the progress the UK has made in protecting workers

The hugely important “six-pack regulations” implementing EU directives were greeted with horror by some employers: surely the world will grind to a halt if we try to stop people lifting badly stacked overweight boxes or stop cleaners using eye-watering chemical concoctions to bleach the detritus left by sticky fingered children.