THERE were few more depressing business stories last week than the account of the 23-year-old laundry worker who died after being trapped inside a giant washing machine at Sunlight Service Group, Winton.

The Health & Safety Executive accused Sunlight Service Group of an inherently dangerous system of work and of "flying by the seat of its pants".

Health and safety legislation in this country has been so stringent for so long that one's initial reaction to this tragedy is one of surprise.

We would expect such things in the developing world, where lives and labour are cheap, but how could it possibly happen here, where industry is apparently so heavily regulated?

One hesitates to suggest yet more regulation and yet more inspections. We in business are constantly complaining of too much red tape, and with good reason.

Yet this case is so shocking that one wonders whether employees in some industries do not require even more protection.

As employers, our primary duty should be to ensure the safety of our staff. This is much easier in an office than it is in a factory, but we must take all reasonable steps to create a safe environment and train everyone in the safe use of equipment.

Lack of experience means young people require even greater protection than older colleagues.

Next time anyone is tempted to roll their eyes and yawn when they are asked to carry out a routine risk assessment they might care to remember this tragedy.