As others have said, H&S is often used by poor managers/advisers as an excuse to support their own ideas and defend their poor decisions; these are then rich pickings for the tabloids and some STWers.
The truth is, if you work in a potentially dangerous industry like construction, many of these rules and processes however awkward and daft seeming, have prevented injury and health problems. The statistics prove that.
The company “covering their arse” line gets wheeled out a lot as well, and while I don’t doubt that’s many people’s prime motivation; in my case I don’t want to see people I work with hurt or worse.
The situation in the OPs initial post seemed absolutely ridiculous mind…