news release

 

 

no embargo - 3 April 2014 ( Back to news releases)

FACK STATEMENT: Prime Minister must learn the lesson that deregulation and killing off health and safety is deadly.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said ‘lessons must be learned from the tragic death of Keane Wallis-Bennett at Liberton High’. The issue was raised by Ian Murray MP for Edinburgh South at Prime Minister’s Questions.  Mr Cameron said: “This was an absolutely shocking accident which people will have seen across the country and their hearts will go out to her family and friends. Lessons will have to be learned to make sure such tragic accidents won’t happen again.”

Louise Taggart from FACK said:

“Prime Minister, lessons MUST be learned, most urgently by you and your government, whose approach to health and safety matters is deeply and dangerously flawed. Lessons should be learned by employers and others BEFORE innocent lives are lost. You do not achieve that by trotting out your "deregulate, deregulate, deregulate" mantra. Removal of what you call "red tape" will only lead to more bloody bandages, and worse, just as poor Keane's family are experiencing”

She went on: “Almost every death in a workplace is preventable by good management of health and safety.  But David Cameron is hostile to such approaches and has described good health and safety as ‘a millstone’, an ‘albatross, a ‘burden on business’ and vowed to ‘kill off health and safety culture’.  Cameron’s government has slashed the budget of the Health and Safety Executive by 35%, boasts of cutting pointless health and safety ‘red tape’ and forced the classification of schools as ‘low risk’ workplaces where preventative, proactive inspections  which spot and fix dangers before they hurt anyone, are now banned. To hear that ‘Lessons must be learned’ from a Prime Minster who wants to ‘kill off health and safety culture’ will be cold comfort to Keane’s family and she deserved to be safe at school. ”

For more information contact

FACK Co-founder: Louise Taggart 07812782534
Facilitator Hilda Palmer 0161 636 7557

Founder Members of FACK:

  • Dawn and Paul Adams – son Samuel Adams aged 6 killed at Trafford Centre, 10th October 1998
  • Linzi Herbertson -husband Andrew Herbertson 29, killed at work in January 1998
  • Mike and Lynne Hutin – son Andrew Hutin 20, killed at work on 8th Nov 2001
  • Mick & Bet Murphy – son Lewis Murphy 18, killed at work on 21st February 2004
  • Louise Taggart – brother Michael Adamson 26, killed at work on 4th August 2005
  • Linda Whelan – son Craig Whelan 23, (and Paul Wakefield) killed at work on 23rd May 2004
  • Dorothy & Douglas Wright son Mark Wright 37, killed at work on 13th April 2005