more than a quarter of business leaders say that their organisation
will face demands to reduce expenditure on health and safety this
year.
Eighty per cent of leaders acknowledge that good health and safety
standards are beneficial. This is due to the fact that the cost of
preventing accidents, is almost always lower than the costs of an
accident once it happens.
Almost 90% of business leaders felt that the most important asset of
the organisation are the people, whilst in addition to preventing
accidents, 65% of employees stated that good health and safety
practices make them feel valued.
Almost half of Britain's workers know of somebody who has been injured
at work; however the actual rate of serious injury and death is
greatly misjudged. On average, employees think that 3,000 people were
killed or seriously injured while at work last year, but in actual
fact the number is 136,000.
Judith Hackitt, Chair of HSE said: "HSE is not, and never will be,
'the fun police.' Our new strategy shows the way towards a common
sense attitude to health and safety. As regulators, our approach to
businesses will be proportionate to the risk they present and their
approach to managing it.
"We are calling on employers and business owners to take the lead
themselves in preventing the thousands of deaths every year which are
caused by work - it is their moral and legal duty and it is good for
the business."
James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said: "There
are too many clichés about the role of 'health and safety' in our
society. But amidst ridiculous myths about banning donkeys and flip
flops, the fact is that too many people are still needlessly killed or
injured. The fact that some people go out to work and never return
home to their families is a human tragedy. The new HSE strategy
recognises that a significant challenge now faces everyone with a
stake in health and safety. We need to do everything we can to drive
down the toll of death and injury."
