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Building Industry Health and Safety
News Release from: British Safety Council | Subject: EU and Safety
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 27 June 2003
Safety Strategy For The Future
Safety and health at work has been identified by the European Union as one of the most important social policy sectors this decade.
Following the Commission of the European Communities summit in Brussels in 2002, a four-year community health and safety strategy was developed and is currently being implemented across the EU A global approach to well-being at work, consolidating a culture of risk prevention by building partnerships between health and safety players and combining a variety of political instruments such as legislation, corporate social responsibility and economic incentives were identified as key factors to help the EU encourage an improved world-wide safety culture
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 4 Apr 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The British Safety Council - one of the world's leading independent health, safety and environmental organisations - shares the EU's commitment to promoting and achieving health, safety and environmental best practice in the workplace.
British Safety Council Director General David Ballard says that with more than 25 million working days lost in the UK every year due to workplace accidents, companies should be prioritising safety practices, to not only save lives, but to save themselves and industry billions of pounds.
"Up to 300 people are killed and 25,000 leave work each year in the UK because of poor health and safety management - if these figures aren't enough to make company leaders review their safety standards, then I believe their social responsibility should be questioned." A British Safety Council commissioned MORI survey suggests preventing death and injury in the workplace is finally being considered a key workplace issue by leading British directors.
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One in five high profile industry leaders is singling out improving safety in the working environment as an important topic on the corporate agenda.
The survey involved interviewing Britain's Captains of Industry to determine the long-term effect on a company of managers failing to address corporate social responsibility (CSR) - a company's recognition of their impact on society through marketplace and workplace practice, community investment, environmental practices and the way they conduct global business.
Results indicate that apart from generating profit for shareholders and increasing customer satisfaction, improved workplace health and safety is fast becoming a top corporate objective for business leaders.
Mr Ballard says with a cost of more than £18 billion a year to British industry, accidents in the workplace are being identified as a preventable expense, particularly in the manufacturing sector.
Earlier this year, the Health and Safety Executive reported evidence of progress in developing a fully qualified workforce within the construction industry - a scheme identified to improve health and safety performance.
Signs of improvement in risk awareness have occurred, but predictions of better on-site standards and reducing fatalities and injuries still remain unachieved.
The construction industry has one of the worst safety records in the United Kingdom with 69 people killed on sites in the year 2000-2001.
Lack of training has been identified as one of the major causes of accidents and ill health in the industry, hence the implementation of professional training is crucial in helping companies to avoid the devastating human and financial costs of poor site safety.
In line with EU standards and objectives, the British Safety Council is placing an emphasis on lifelong training and learning to maintain competent health and safety standards at all levels.
And as forms of employment change, in particular increased temporary employment relationships, the need for better quality risk assessments and greater support to employees is vital.
Mr Ballard says additional courses offered by the British Safety Council have been designed to address increasing workplace issues such as stress, drugs and alcohol in the workplace, asbestos related illnesses and musculo-skeletal problems.
"Each year the Council conducts 30,000 delegate days of training and 2,000 days of audits and safety advisories.
Each course subject concentrates on educating people responsible for health and safety about preventing accidents and illnesses in any workplace, particularly with the changing demographics of a work-site." The age factor, form of employment, occupational health risk, social risk and gender requirements all influence an organisation's health and safety culture and in turn influence the method in which accident and injury prevention is delivered.
In particular young people who are more liable to the risk of accidents have been identified as needing greater support and health and safety training.
Lack of experience makes young people more susceptible to accidents but it's also important to enforce the safety message from day one as in the future they may be health and safety leaders.
In conjunction with EU and national objectives, the British Safety Council, through its delivery of vocational courses and action in publicising the safety message, is also aiming to achieve a reduction of fatal and non-fatal accidents, occupational illnesses and the number of days lost due to workplace accidents and illnesses.
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