A new Health & Safety Commission (HSC) strategy to improve future standards of workplace health and safety has been launched, with an emphasis on tackling ill health arising from work.
Minister for Work, Des Browne said: “Great strides have already been made on safety improvements and I want to see similar progress on occupational health. The record in reducing accidents is impressive. Now we need to achieve a similarly impressive reduction in ill health arising from work. As well as untold suffering, poor management of risks costs the economy dearly.”
Forty million working days were lost to occupational injury and ill health in 2001/02: 33 million days were attributed to ill health.
The strategy sets out a new direction for the health and safety system and the roles of the HSC, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities (LAs) and focuses on managing risks and not eliminating them.
Key features of the HSC strategy include:
- Focusing resources on poor performance to get best results
- Promoting greater involvement of workers – the strategy recognises the people best placed to make workplaces safe are staff and managers
- Making information readily accessible and providing clearer and simpler advice, and
- Involving all stakeholders and forging close working relationships where everyone has a voice and can contribute.
Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health & Safety Commission, said: “The development of this strategy was driven by the recognition that the world of work is changing, and with it, the hazards. More legislation will not be our first response to new issues.”
The Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond’ can be accessed here
The HSE is now developing an implementation programme and plan so that the strategy is driven forward.
