LTB 767/10 - EDM 411 - HEALTH AND SAFETY

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No. 767/10
Ref EX5/10
Date: 7th September 2010

To: All Branches




Dear Colleagues

EDM 441 - HEALTH AND SAFETY


To counter the Tory/LibDem Coalition government's attack on Health and Safety via "The Young Review". Lord Young has come under heavy fire from the Unions and Professional Health and Safety bodies for his statement's that "Health and safety regulations have been applied too generally and have become an unnecessary burden on firms, community organisations and public services".

Lord Young's view is not shared by the CWU. The review is an attempt to undermine the already limited protection that workers have by focusing on the needs of business.

Businesses are responsible for injuring a quarter of a million workers every year at work and makes a further half a million workers ill. The review should be investigating the reasons behind those statistics and government should protect workers by increasing inspections and enforcement action against employers who put workers at risk by ignoring existing laws, as well as introducing a legal duty on directors to protect their workers.

John McDonnell MP has submitted an Early Day Motion, number 441, reproduced below:-


EDM 441 - HEALTH AND SAFETY
That this House notes that according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2008-09, 1.2 million people were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work, 180 workers were killed at work and 131,895 other workplace injuries were reported; recognises that the real figures are likely to be much higher given that many work-related fatalities are filtered out from the HSE's headline statistics, that the number of occupational disease deaths each year is never published and that ill-health estimates miss entire categories of common occupational diseases and underestimate others; deeply regrets therefore that people are still dying, being seriously injured or made ill simply as a result of carrying out their day to day job often as a result of health and safety failings by employers; further notes the estimated cost of around 30 billion per year to the economy of poor workplace health and safety and that this burden is borne heavily by workers and their families; believes there is no evidence to support cutting back on health and safety regulation but instead that the current system of prevention and enforcement needs bolstering; reaffirms the right of all workers to work in a safe and healthy workplace; and therefore calls on the Government to reject calls for deregulation and instead look to strengthen the current legislative framework and ensure that the HSE is adequately resourced in order to stop more people dying or receiving injuries unnecessarily. (John McDonnell MP)


An Early Day Motion (EDM), in the Parliamentary system is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabeld by MPs for debate "on an early day" (namely an unspecific date in the future). Very few are debated on the floor of the Chamber of the House but remain a good way of raising important issues and gaining parliamentary and public attention. EDMs remain open for signature for the duration of the parliamentary session.


Yours Sincerely



Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer