Well, there's a surprise...good safety requires an investment, cut the HSE budget by 35% and that's what you get. I wonder what our Geoffrey and Judith have got to say about that?

http://www.shponline.co....-government-s-first-year

I'm not sure why the SHP felt compelled to bring politics into the headline. Surely it is too soon for planned changes at HSE to have taken effect?

HSE point out that the trend is still downward. http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm

Sorry Guys cannot agree on your previous posts, all actions have consequences, the 35% cut in HSE funding by the present Coalition allied with the previous Governments roll back of funding is starting to highlight some alarming trends, it will not be long before we are back to pre 2000 fatality figures. Its about time everybody understood that these fatalities are people who have families and loved ones, and we the Tax Payer pick up over 80% of the total costs of any fatality, not the reckless employer.
Stephen

Yes, but not immediate consequences. For example, people do not die on immediate exposure to asbestos there is a time lag and a probability factor involved.

Similarly, there is unlikely to be a direct causal link with HSE funding and workplace fatalities, It's far more complex than that.

But neither am I saying there is no link. By way of analogy - if you remove the fear of a criminal being caught out, then crime rates will eventually increase.

I was encouraged by Bill Callaghan's speech (Chairman of Nebosh) on Monday at my (second) graduation? Nice to hear him singing about record lows in workplace deaths - although we all know this is mostly due to the fact their is no construction/industry to speak of because of recession etc....But then...Oops!

Latest from SHP.........

"Provisional figures released by the HSE yesterday (28 June) revealed that 171 workers died in 2010/11 – up from the record low of 147 deaths in 2009/10. The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers also went up – from 0.5 to 0.6"

HSE chair Judith Hackitt admitted that the increase was “disappointing” but was keen to emphasise that Britain still has one of the lowest rates of fatal injury anywhere in Europe.

If we have 17% increase in fatalaties how many near fatal incidents did we have?

I think the HSE claims relating to long term downward trends only tell part of the story - playing with numbers really.

If you are doing something pretty well why stop doing it? The HSE cuts underline how little most people, including government, understand about health and safety. You might be doing great, reducing incidents etc, but it can easily slip backwards. When you are doing well you should put the pressure on and invest not use it as an excuse to cut.

I guess we will know more this time next year.

I am actually of the view that the rise demonstrates that we have been statistically lucky over the previous few years and that we are returning to the statistical average that the way we manage safety is going to give. Over 30 years I have seen only occasional glimpses of REAL management buy in but plenty of words that sound good. Equally my own area of construction still has the macho attitude of "we can do anything and beat the odds".

Solution is probably dreadfully simple to say - We need everybody at work to sign up to protecting their own H&S and that of ALL their work colleagues and others affected. Sounds familiar but we are not there yet. The HSE cuts are a good political side show and a useful excuse BUT they do not manage H&S it is employers and their employees. No amount of inspection or prosecution will manage a company. Perhaps there is one area that the HSE could tackle and that is Director Disqualification - for financial malfeasance it is administratively requested as the norm - not so in H&S

Bob

Ray

Enforcement may be a lesson to some but as I say it does not manage organisations. HSE are far too soft with directors in my view. What better lesson than a plc board facing disqualification and I would include the non-execs here as they have a monitoring role not just a juicy small £40k salary from each of 4 or 5 comapnies. There would be real lessons learned then!!!!!

Bob