The mayor who hurt a tomato

Now, this is the reason that Health and Safety was invented. The Belfast mayor who kneed a tomato in the head, and has left the council with a bill for damages.


If a proper risk assessment had been carried out, by a qualified assessor, many things would have been considered. 
For example: was the ground slippery?  Was the mayor in possession of a letter from his GP confirming that he was capable of vaulting over a council worker dressed as a tomato? Was the hat on the tomato outfit a hard hat, certified to BS EN397?  


Was the run up long enough? Was he wearing the right shoes? (answer: no, he wasn't. They should have been non-spiky athletic shoes with sufficient grip for the ground conditions). Was he wearing knee pads against the possibility of knee-head contact? Was he himself wearing a hard hat?

You could have filled in quite a questionnaire on that risk assessment. Or you could have asked just one question. "You're an old bloke, proposing to vault over the head of a woman dressed as a tomato. What sort of a wally are you?