UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Wednesday 24 March 2010

TUC slates Policy Exchange attack on workplace health and safety‏

The TUC has slammed proposals by the right wing Policy Exchange lobby group as 'Alice in Wonderland'. Chiming with Tory Party de-regulation proposals, the new report 'Health and Safety - Reducing the Burden' advocates the 'stripping back' of health and safety regulations - going as far as to question whether 'the self-employed need any health and safety requirements at all?'

Oblivious or more likely indifferent to the health and safety risks in many workplaces it concludes 'the last, and biggest, question is whether we should really try to eliminate all risk, or whether we should try to manage risk effectively'.
http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/publications/publication.cgi?id=189

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said 'anyone who believes that there is a culture of over-compliance needs some basic lessons in the reality of working life. Last year 30 million days were lost due to injuries and ill-health caused by work. And a quarter of a million people were injured at work. These were caused by employers failing to comply with health and safety regulations'.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/newsroom/tuc-17746-f0.cfm