The government appears to be hell bent on making huge changes in health and safety in the workplace. Is it justified?
Health and safety at work is back on the Tory agenda, as they have announced plans to make it more difficult for people who have been injured at work to claim compensation.
What is the truth about health and safety at work? Clearly, the intention of health and safety legislation is to protect workers, but has it got out of control? If you believe the Daily Mail, and Conservative politicians, is has done.
I am sure that everyone can point to a rule or to a warning poster that appears to be ridiculous and completely unnecessary, but for me, those kinds of stories are a just a smokescreen for much bigger issues. Health and safety hinders business, it creates unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy that prevents business from functioning and from being competitive. Surely health and safety should take priority?
If health and safety has gone too far, then tell that to the relatives of the two hundred people that are killed in the workplace every year in this country. Last year there was 26 million million working days lost due to injury in the workplace, from 1.2 million workers. Thankfully, injuries in the workplace have reduced annually over the last ten years, but if the government relax health and safety regulations, will it mean that injuries will rise again? Compared to the rest of the EU, we have a good record on safety in the workplace. I can only assume that this must be partly due to employers following legislation.
Whilst you will be given examples of health and safety gone mad, there are many others where health and safety, and workers lives are worth nothing. The Sonae chipboard processing plant in Liverpool has seen three workers killed within the space of a year, as well as many years of other serious accidents, yet no-one has ever faced responsibility.
Whilst for some people health and safety can be a hindrance, the reality is that something that workers have fought for as they have tried to better their overall workplace conditions, and attempts to do away with it should be met with as much resistance as pension reforms and cuts are met with.
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