In response to recent criticism of Britain’s health and safety regulations, the TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has spoken up in favour of the status quo. As reported by the news agency Reuters, Mr Barber has been keen to emphasise the value of protecting workers in what can be hazardous workplaces.
In an important contribution to the evolving debate, Mr Barber said:
“The Health and Safety Executive has tirelessly campaigned to ensure that employers address the real risks at work, rather than concentrate on the trivial. The idea that employers are being overzealous in their application of health and safety regulation is simply not true. The reality is exactly the opposite; last year 246,000 people were injured at work.”
He pointed out that since the landmark legislation of 1974 Britain has had some dramatic examples of accidents at work. He specifically named three catastrophic occurrences: the Piper Alpha disaster, the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise and the deaths of the Chinese cockle collectors in Morecambe Bay. Without the Health and Safety at Work Act, the possibility of more accidents would have been greater. Personal injury in the workplace is still a major problem.
Up to 20,000 British people are dying from occupational cancers each year. Many of these deaths are related to exposure to asbestos. 1.2 million British workers suffer from bad health in their working environments. Health and safety legislation exists to prevent an accident at work from occurring. Implementation has to be effective to limit the instances of personal injury.
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