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What a carry-on! Grayling carries on wrecking 'elf and safety despite the evidence (or lack of it!) 18 November - no embargo

Following the announcements made today by Employment Minister Chris Grayling after the publication of the government's review of health and safety by Professor Lofstedt, the Hazards Campaign said: "Here we go again! While Professor Lofstedt's evidence shows there's no fundamental problem with the regime which is meant to protect people at work the Tories take the opportunity to wreck what they can by exaggerating Lofstedt's findings - or just by making stuff up. Just like they did with Lord Young. What a carry on!

"The really disgraceful part of all of this is that this review was a real opportunity to look at way of reducing the burden on people at work who are injured, made unwell, disabled and killed - which the government says costs the UK as a whole of up to £32billion each and every year and which the government says is caused by employers not doing what they should to prevent this happening - by law.

"Instead the review was focussed on the so-called burdens on business and it will do nothing, absolutely nothing, to reduce the real burden borne by workers, their families and friends or the state."

The Hazards Campaign disagrees with the government's plans to exempt the self employed for health and safety protections and disputes they are currently placed under any burden by health and safety legislation. This change will make things worse, not better, for the self employed.

The Hazards Campaign disagrees with the government's plan to create an enforcement challenge panel, points out this will create extra bureaucracy and cost as well as that there is an appeals system currently in place.

The Hazards Campaign disagrees with the government's plan to add extra burden on the Health and Safety Executive who are already facing 35% cuts, by giving them more of a role in local authority enforcement. The Hazards Campaign calls for more resources for the HSE and local authorities so they can do the job they are required to by law properly and adequately.

The Hazards Campaign accuses Chris Grayling and the media of creating a mountain out of a non-existent molehill in his announcements over plans for strict liability compensation cases.

For more information contact:
Hazards Campaign - 0161 636 7557

Further information:

We didn't vote to die at work:
http://www.hazards.org/votetodie/

Hazards Campaign:
http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/

The Lofstedt report is available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lofstedt-report.pdf

The Government response to the Lofstedt review is available at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lofstedt-report-response.pdf

TUC comment on the Lofstedt review is available at:
http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-20341-f0.cfm

 

 

The Hazards Campaign, c/o Greater Manchester Hazards Centre, Windrush Millennium Centre, 70 Alexandra Road,
Manchester, M16 7WD . website www.hazardscampaign.org.uk