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Safety Net Journal Issue 6 |
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Government says occupational health a priority for L.A. enforcement
Local Authorities enforce health and safety for the vast majority of Usdaw members, but they also have many other enforcement repsonsibiilities.
A Government review of Local Authority regulatory activities has concluded that enforcement of workplace health should be one of the top five priorities.
The report argues that workplace health must be a priority because of the numbers affected. Over 500,000 workers per year suffer work-related ill health in Local Authority enforced sectors. The direct cost to employers in these sectors is £600 million. The vast majority of Usdaw members who work in shops, warehouses and offices are covered by Local Authority inspectors.
Usdaw wants Local Authorities to increase inspection resources for health and safety at work in line with the priority. Many local authorities already do a lot of work in this area. Some have worked with Usdaw on the health and safety issues that matter to our members. L.A.s such as Bury, Westminster and Bath and North East Somerset, for example, have worked with Usdaw on the Freedom from Fear campaign. However, many other L.A.s still need to do more, and nationally resources devoted to H&S enforcement by L.A.s are much lower than they were in the 1990s.
The conclusions of the review can be seen at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/documents/rogers_review/review2007.pdf.
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