The Hazards Campaign
is a network of
resource centres and campaigners
on health and safety at work
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The Hazards Campaign
is a network of |
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International Workers Memorial Day 28 April 2008 'Good Occupational Health for All Workers' Corporate Killing:
Facts and Figures Page 1 Introduction Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 2.3 million people are killed by work worldwide every year. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic "accidents". They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't that important a priority. Employers can do that because even when there are good laws, they are poorly enforced and so the threat of legal action is very low and therefore deterrence and pressure to comply is consequently very low. Even if employers kill someone through negligence, under current law in the UK they rarely face manslaughter prosecutions. A new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act comes into force in April 2008. Widely criticised by Hazards Campaigners, FACK ( Families Against Corporate Killers ) and Trade Unions, for not including legal duties for health and safety on directors, having no individual offences and for the penalty of an unlimited fines instead of custodial sentences. The new Act may make it slightly easier to prosecute large companies by replacing the need to identify a senior individual as the controlling mind of the company by replacing it with senior management failures. The courts will also be able to impose remedial orders and publicity orders which come into force later. Deaths in incidents at work are the tip of the iceberg - far more people are killed, often years later, by occupational illnesses due to working in poor conditions exposed to risk factors such as carcinogens - up to 20% of British workforce - other chemicals, dust and fumes, long hours, shift work, bullying and harassing management , and so on. The Labour Force Survey,
used by the HSE estimates 2.2. million people in Britain as suffering
from an illness they believe was caused or made worse by their current
or past work. These figures for work-related ill-health are widely thought
to be underestimations, grossly so in the case of some diseases. |
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Advice centres, victim support groups, local and national campaigns, other sources of information and support The Hazards Campaign is a national network established in 1988, financed by donations from supporting groups and individuals. It draws together Hazards Centres, Occupational Health Projects, health and safety groups and Trades Union Councils' Safety Committees, specific campaigns and individual health and safety activists. Specific campaign groups include the Construction Safety Campaign, bereaved relatives groups, asbestos support groups, RSI support groups, pesticide sufferers groups, campaigns against hazards affecting black and ethnic minority groups and toxic waste groups. The campaign works
by: sharing information and skills; campaigning on specific issues; acting
as a national voice; issuing press releases; holding conferences; establishing
national initiatives, including Workers Memorial Day; lobbying MPs, MEPs
and statutory bodies. The Campaign organises the annual Hazards Conference
and holds meetings about five times a year which are open to anyone sharing
the aims of the campaign. |
The Hazards Campaign,
c/o Greater Manchester Hazards Centre, Windrush Millennium Centre, 70
Alexandra Road, |
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last updated
April 22, 2008
site last updated August 8 2002 |