Posted on 11/02/2003 2:31:07 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
The Royal British Legion has stopped supplying pins with its poppies because it fears compensation claims from "injured" members of the public.
A number of legion branches across the country have instructed members not to use pins to attach the paper poppies for health and safety reasons, claiming that they could cause pain if people
accidentally stab themselves with them or damage workplace machinery if they fall off. The legion, the largest charity for ex-servicemen, sells about 30 million poppies each year to mark Remembrance Day. Traditionally, buyers get a steel pin to attach the poppy to their lapel.
Branches in Leicestershire, Hampshire, Somerset and Scotland are now, however, supplying stickers or plastic alternatives, with some calling for the banning of metal pins altogether. Mark Hudson, the chairman of the Market Harborough RBL branch in Leicestershire, said that he had been told by his county supervisors that the distribution of pins could raise litigation issues.
Mr Hudson said: "We were told that we are not supposed to give children the pins for health and safety reasons, and that we should give them a sticker badge instead.
"It is something we are increasingly aware of for adults as well. Now we tend to slot the poppy into buttonholes without using a pin. If people do insist on a pin, I will make sure the sharp end is stuck firmly into the material to minimise any risk of injury. I would favour the introduction of a safety pin in the future."
Malcolm Gainard, the chairman of the Keynsham and Saltford RBL branch in Somerset, said: "I think we should use something else. I'm worried about the safety aspect. People can easily stab themselves with a pin and there is always the worry of litigation. We do supply poppies without pins. For instance, the Cadbury Schweppes factory in Keynsham will not allow any metal into the premises for fear that the pins could fall into the machinery."
Branches as far afield as Scotland have also introduced a "no-pin" alternative. Adam Godsman, the secretary of the Banchory branch, near Aberdeen, said: "Our county headquarters suggested that we supply poppies without pins, especially for children because of the health and safety issues. We are supplying stickers or plastic-stemmed poppies that are put through buttonholes without a pin and it is recommended that we do that."
Other legion members condemned the initiative and vowed to continue to pin poppies on coats and jackets in the traditional manner. Peter Westwell, the county secretary of the Shropshire Branch called the no-pin rule "poppycock". He said: "It is compensation culture gone mad. The most dangerous thing about a pin is if a gentleman pins it on a lady without her say-so."
A spokesman for the RBL headquarters in London insisted that the decision not to use metal pins was not official policy and that it was left to the discretion of individual branches.
"There is no directive, but it is a sad reflection of our society that people do seem to be raising health and safety issues more every year," the spokesman said. "If staff are concerned, they are welcome to remove the pins from poppy boxes."
The annual poppy campaign has been running since November 1921 and is probably Britain's most well-known charity initiative. The legion encourages members of the public to donate £1 and wear a poppy in the run-up to Remembrance Day on November 11 to commemorate those who were killed on active service.
The campaign raised over £21 million for ex-servicemen and their dependents in 2002 by selling poppies through the legion's 2,873 local branches.
Things keep getting sillier and sillier.
Why?
Fear of lawsuits in case they missed a lethal item and it harmed a child.
Thank you lawyers................now hundreds of children can be maimed!
WOW !!! The cops are smarter than the liars... um... lawyers.
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Ah, but that will all change with the EU. Soon the EU citizens of the uk will again be pinning popies on their lapels.
Oh my lord. You could have some serious problems if you accidently snorted a whole can of mushy peas (a favored food of the British) through a straw as well.
Meaning?
Someone would sue because he stabbed himself with a straight pin? There's no "actual damages" involved, there's only "pain and suffering." Compensation for pain and suffering for a jab from a straight pin would be... what? fifty cents? a dollar? two dollars at the most. How much of a weenie would you have to be to sue for pain and suffering for a poke from a straight pin?
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