Manufacturers urged to sign up to new health and safety strategy

The Health and Safety Executive has today (3 June) launched a new strategy to reduce the number of workplace accidents and, it says, to ensure risk management is not an unnecessary burden on British businesses. The strategy entitled 'Be part of the solution' is the result of a three-month consultation with events held across the country. HSE received feedback from 700 individuals who attended workshops and from 200 written responses. HSE said its latest research, also published today, demonstrated that employers and employees all recognised that a safe workplace makde good commercial sense. Nearly 90% of business leaders told HSE that people were their organisation's most important asset. In addition to preventing accidents, 65% of employees said that good health and safety practices made them feel valued. However, more than a quarter of business leaders said that that their organisation would face pressure to cut spending on health and safety this year because of the recession – despite the fact that eight out of ten business leaders say that good health and safety is beneficial to their business. HSE says this is partly due to the fact that the cost of preventing accidents is almost always less than the costs associated with an accident once it happens. The most effective way to improve health and safety practices is for senior management to show leadership on the issue. HSE is calling on business leaders to sign a pledge to 'be part of the solution' and improve health and safety standards. Judith Hackitt (pictured), chair of HSE, said: "HSE is not, and never will be, 'the fun police.' Our new strategy shows the way towards a common sense attitude to health and safety. As regulators, our approach to businesses will be proportionate to the risk they present and their approach to managing it. We are calling on employers and business owners to take the lead themselves in preventing the thousands of deaths every year which are caused by work – it is their moral and legal duty and it is good for the business." She added: "While the economic climate is difficult and the temptation for some may be to cut corners, HSE, its partners and businesses must resolve to continue to strive to improve health and safety performance." Brendan Barber (pictured), head of the TUC, said the new strategy was "short on rhetoric but big on vision", and added that unions are wholeheartedly supporting the strategy. Manufacturers' organisation EEF was also present at the launch today and signed the employer pledge. Steve Pointer, EEF's head of health and safety policy, said the new strategy would be welcomed by manufacturers but "its success depends upon coordinated delivery by HSE and a wide range of other organisations… We very much hope that others will follow our lead, producing delivery plans to help turn the strategy into reality." Employers are invited to sign up online to show their commitment to keeping workplaces safe: www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/pledge