Grayling Shows Contempt For Workplace Death Victim’s Families
Chris Grayling, the minister currently responsible for leading the attack on health and safety, claims to be concerned about making health & safety legislation suitable for modern workplaces and ‘common sense’, and that he is listening to ‘key stakeholders’.
Despite this claim, he clearly does not wish to speak to workers, or the families of victims who have been killed at work. The minister seems only to be available to meet with those who support his aims, and is quite happy to ignore the realities of the risks that exist in modern workplaces.
Families Against Corporate Killing wrote to Mr Grayling on 6th May to request an audience, with regard to changes to health & safety legislation and the then upcoming review. They complained about the lack of contact, involvement or consultation with those harmed by work or with the families of those killed by gross negligence.
He refused to meet with them, instead claiming to be too busy and that his discussions with the TUC ‘as their representatives’ would be more appropriate. This, despite the fact that FACK are not a trade union!
A second request was then made by FACK, but again he refused to see them.
FACK supporter and leading H&S campaigner, Professor Steve Tombs asked his local MP Frank Field to raise the question of Grayling not meeting FACK.
In the Houses of Commons on 11th July, Frank Field MP (Labour, Birkenhead), asked Grayling when he would be meeting with the Families Against Corporate Killers and to make a statement regarding this to the House.
Grayling’s response was once again appalling and showed contempt for not only the families of those killed at work, but also the facts around deaths and injury at work.
Grayling said only, “ Ministers meet with key H&S stakeholders and lobby groups on a regular basis. However, there currently no plans to meet representatives of Families Against Corporate Killers.”
Dorothy Wright, who is a founding member of FACK, told Unionsafety:
“Chris Grayling Minister who is responsible for killing off the HSE and deregulating safety at work has admitted that in past 5 years the government know of 3026 work fatalities, only 563 led to any kind of H&S prosecution, 247080 major injuries, only 5% were investigated by HSE; a gross undercounting of both! But even this is carnage!!”
She added:
“The interesting thing is that he quotes the fatalities reported to ALL enforcing authorities which was 3026 in the 5 years and yet each of these years they(and labour before them) have passed off, to the media, the fatalities reported to the HSE RIDDOR figure as the total. When I queried this with a Labour Minister he did not explain only denied that they had ever suggested that the HSE RIDDOR figure was the figure of total fatalities.”
Dorothy concluded:
“So how come the whole country believes in that lower death toll figure ?? Pathetic, and ALL parties are guilty of hiding the real death toll which would really be much nearer 7500 in past 5 years I think people would be more inclined to take notice if they knew their risks were so much higher
It would seem also to me that if you have 247080 major injuries in 5 years, some of whom will probably have had their lives shortened ,it is utterly foolhardy to reduce the budget, staffing and regulations of the only agency that gives even basic protection to workers.”
Interestingly, the person heading the Con-Dem(ned) government’s review into health and safety legislation, Professor Loifstedt, will be meeting with FACK and Hilda Palmer from Hazards on Monday 25th July at the DWP.
Coincidentally Grayling works in the same building.
Hilda Palmer, Hazards and FACK supporter has once again written to Grayling advising him of their meeting on Monday 25th July with Professor Loifstedt, and requesting, yet again, a meeting with him.
Source: FACK
