New GB Health & Safety Strategy

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With an enviable record in health and safety, the HSE has published six themes that its new five-year UK strategy will have for the country.

Despite the favourable figures relative to comparable countries, the HSE has recognised that the latest statistics need to be improved upon; hence the strategy that has been published.

The latest figures provided by HSE for 2014-15 show that 142 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 workers. 76,000 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 293 per 100,000 employees. 611,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey, of which 152,000 led to over seven days’ absence with rates of 2,030 and 500 per 100,000 workers respectively.

The six themes for the new strategy are:

• Promoting broader ownership of workplace health and safety.
• Highlighting and tackling the burden of work-related ill-health.
• Supporting small firms.
• Enabling productivity through proportionate risk management.
• Anticipating and tackling the challenges of new technology and ways of working.
• Sharing the benefits of the UK’s approach.

A discussion has now started to involve the people and organisations that can help the nations and regions of UK work well.

“We can be proud of the country’s record on work-related safety and health as it’s one of the best in the world,” stated Judith Hackitt, Chair, HSE. “Making it even better is the challenge, so that we can all continue to help Great Britain work well. Getting risk management right is an enabler for productivity, innovation and growth and is integral to business success as well as the wellbeing of workers.”

Ms Hackitt went on to state that the HSE is starting a conversation with a wide range of ‘influencers’, including employers, workers, local and central government, trades unions, other regulators and key representative groups “because it’s important that this is a strategy for all, shaped by all”.

Picture:   Judith Hackitt, Chair, HSE – “Making [health and safety] even better is the challenge….”

Article written by Mike Gannon

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