Defence Of Health And Safety Regulation Begins

The TUC’s campaign to defend health and safety regulation from the Tory led coalition government’s slashing campaign, has begun with the issuing of the first of a series of bulletins leading up to the biggest ever national workplace health and safety event on 28 April.

Workers' Memorial Day 2012 a 'Day of activity to defend health and safety', which is facing an unprecedented attack.

TUC Risks this weekend quoted the TUC as saying:

“The actions of the government are putting the safety and health of Britain's workers under threat, by trying to slash the laws that protect you, cut enforcement and inspection and make it harder to win compensation for injuries. Don't let this happen. Take part in the TUC Day of Action on health and safety on 28 April 2012, Workers' Memorial Day.”

The TUC adds:

“These proposed cuts are not inevitable. Trade unions, safety campaigners and the TUC want proper legal protection for all those in work, a strong Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and a right to seek justice if things go wrong.”

TUC is going to promote activities nationwide and asks that all unions and their USRs join any events in their local area on 28 April 2012.

This is International Workers Memorial Day when we traditionally remember the dead and fight for the living, a new 28 April guide urges.

The first bulletin of the campaign provides information and facts that can be used in the campaign. For example:

The Government view on regulation
 
The government has said that any new regulation must be matched by the removal of another regulation. It calls this one-in one-out.

It also says that any new regulation introduced through Europe should be implemented in Britain at the lowest level possible, and any existing regulations should be reduced to the level of the new European regulation.

In addition no regulations can impose any new “burdens” on small businesses for the next 3 years.

They have also set up no less than three reviews of health and safety regulation in the past year and a half. These are a review by Lord Young, a review by Professor Ragnar Lofstedt and what is called the “Red-tape challenge”.

The first two reviews have both concluded there was no case for any change in the overall health and safety framework and both accepted that there was not an “excessive” health and safety culture.

The “red-tape challenge” was set up in 2011to get businesses to suggest what regulations should be removed. Anyone could leave a suggestion on a website yet the overwhelming majority called for no change to the existing regulations.

It goes further into the reality of Health & Safety in the UK as opposed to the Government’s media lies:

The Government has also said that we do not need any more regulation because Britain is one of the safest countries in the world. This is rubbish. According to the Health and Safety Risk Index, published in January 2010 the UK’s health and safety performance was 20th out of the 34 OECD (developed) nations.

Do we have too much regulation?

In 1974 the number of regulations on health and safety was 462. In April 2009 the number was 248. This means we have 46% less regulation than 35 years It is not just the number of regulations that have declined. Over the last five years the HSE has also reduced the number of forms used for collecting information from business from 127 to 54 – a 57.5% reduction.

Is regulation a burden on business?

Regulation should not be seen as a burden on business. It is a responsibility, just as paying taxes is a responsibility, and no business should be able to operate unless it can do so safety.

However there is no evidence that, despite all the complaints, health and safety regulations impose even a minimal hardship on businesses.

The Prime Minister said that businesses were doing ‘battle against a tide of risk assessment forms every year’. This is nonsense. The vast majority of employers never carry out any kind of written risk assessments, and for those that do, there is easy-to­-understand advice available from the Health and Safety Executive on how to do them.

You can download the first health and safety bulletin of the campaign here

Source: TUC / CWU

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