Risk assessment...

I work in construction projects on the railway and my employer, who are ordinarily very risk averse and safety minded, are currently on a total safety bender. This is all well and good and I applaud the intent but my fear is that it could turn into a bit of a witch-hunt to name and shame the unsafe and that in the rush to appear safer-than-thou, logic and fact are taking a bit of a beating.

I've just received a briefing that cycling or motorcycling for work travel (excluding the commute to your place of work) is no longer allowed and exceptions to this would require the submission of a "work activity safety assessment" and approval by several senior people.

The unofficial advice I was given was in order to get approval you must demonstrate that an activity is being done in the safest possible manner and as you could always drive, walk or get the train to site or other offices, you would not get it approved for cycling, so don't even try. Don't make waves was the message.

I don't tend to need to cycle for work but I have on occasion and quite frankly I'm fed up with being singled out as some sort of deranged psychopath with a death-wish for cycling in London WITHOUT A HELMET anyway. I quite fancy taking the wisdom behind this latest edict on. Can anyone help me with stats? @Oliver Schick perhaps? They'd need to be very specific to the type of journeys i'm suggesting. Let's start with travelling the short distance from my office in Waterloo station to another office I regularly visit in Tooley St, London Bridge. Let's say, during a working weekday. I'd like to find stats on a similar journey by private pedal cycle, by hire ("Boris") bike, by car, by tube and on foot.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks