From the CEO’s desk
September 1st 2011 The UK’s health & safety industry may conjure up a number of thoughts to you – protecting people at work from injury, using safe operating practices to ensure staff safety, protecting your best interests and generating future profits, to name but a few. Alternatively, perhaps you might think of the ‘elf and safety’ jokes that are so frequently touted by the newspapers or the unspecified ‘burden’ that current legislation is alleged to place on organisations. However, whether these thoughts are positive or negative, the fact remains that responsible health & safety practices within an organisation can and do save lives and prevent injuries.
Whatever stance you take, this has probably been swayed by your experiences in the workplace with the health & safety practices installed. As someone with an interest in health & safety you will have witnessed your colleague’s attitudes on the subject – positive or negative – however if a workplace accident occurs, the ‘spotlight’ will of course shine on the negative.
Despite people’s differing attitudes, the fact remains that the UK is one of the world leaders in health & safety. However a very real concern of the BSIF’s is whether the various changes taking place have a negative impact on the industry? Do Government comments and actions - such as ‘reducing the burden’, ‘reduce the legislation’, curtailing the Health & Safety Executive’s (HSE) ability to pro-actively inspect organisations and closing its helplines - really create and maintain a positive health & safety culture or are they more likely to undermine the stature and importance of health & safety in the UK thereby encouraging a more laissez faire attitude?
Whilst the HSE is being forced to adapt to its 35 per cent budget reduction, the Lord Young and Lofstedt Reviews discuss lowering the burden of health & safety legislation on companies. What sort of message does this transmit to the wider marketplace and its workforce?
When the HSE released provisional data for fatal accidents during 2010/11, the total number of 171 deaths showed an increase of 27 over the finalised figure of 147 for 2009/10. It would be unrealistic to say that there is a direct correlation to what I have previously discussed in this article but we must remember that someone has to tell 171 people their loved ones won’t be coming home from work, or deal with the thousands that have sustained serious injuries - these are lives ruined. Everyone (including the Government) must retain a strong focus on minimising these negative impacts.
The BSIF agrees that it is critical that health & safety is proportionate to the risk and that the legislation is appropriate. Reducing the burden, shouldn’t mean increasing the risks and injuries suffered. Obviously this is not the Government’s intention but the consequent messages being delivered by the current changes may create unwanted attitudes towards the area. We need to be vigilant and encourage the Government to highlight the positives in health & safety. We realise the Government is trying to reduce red tape, make industries more competitive and encourage entrepreneurship – all of which are great goals! Just let’s not do that to the detriment of workers health and wellbeing.
The culture we create will dictate the importance and stature of health & safety. We all need to be positive and proactive. The messages generated by the Government must reinforce this – unfortunately right now it is questionable that they do!
David Lummis,
The BSIF Chief Executive Officer.
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