TUC Risks 24th November 2007 reported that TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, called for tougher enforcement to tackle workplace health and safety, when he addressed the Centre for Corporate Accountablility conference.
He told delegates that there are at least 20,000 work-related deaths and 2.2 million injuries every year.
He said the 241 fatalities in 2006/07 'only tells us part of the story. We have to remember the 5,000 people killed last year because of asbestos exposure, the thousand killed in work-related road accidents, the many thousands killed by workplace cancers every year, as well as those who suffer heart attacks as a result of overwork or stress.'
'Nobody knows exactly how many people die prematurely every year as a result of work, but is certainly well over 20,000 a year - and every single one of these deaths was avoidable. The HSE estimates that over 80 per cent of injuries are a direct result of management failures. This means that the vast majority of deaths are simply down to management breaking health and safety laws. The same is true of the 2.2 million people who are suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their work.' Mr Barber concluded: 'To me this is a crime wave on a massive scale. A crime wave that screams out for action. Evidence shows the most effective way to change behaviour is strong enforcement action, supported by advice and guidance.
To read the full article click on the link below
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment