We're on the case to improve health and safety in workplace

Published on Thursday 8 May 2008 10:11

All staff have right to a good working environment, says Trevor Johnson.

LAST week, the Scottish Parliament held a members' debate recognising the importance of International Workers' Memorial Day. The Health and Safety Executive welcomes this debate and the valuable contributions made by MSPS from all parties.

We share and support their wishes for a safe and healthy workforce, protected by law.

The theme for this year's memorial day was "Remember the dead: fight for the living". HSE this year supported the aims of the day by enhancing its multi-lingual migrant worker website to provide guidance for workers from overseas and their employers.

All workers have the right to work safely and without risk to their health. With 31 people dying at work in Scotland in 2006/07 and nearly 200,000 suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work, it is of utmost importance that health and safety processes are in place to protect workers' lives. The HSE website is a valuable tool for overseas workers and their employers, and will help them to understand their roles and responsibilities under British health and safety law.

Migrant workers are employed in a wide range of industries, some of them high risk, and may encounter unfamiliar risks in their work. The working environment and workplace health and safety culture may be very different from those in their countries of origin. These factors, particularly where there are also language difficulties, may lead to migrant workers being put at increased risk of accidents or ill-health.

Health and safety is a major issue both for the people working in Scotland and for the companies that employ them.

We want employers to recognise that their most valuable resource is their staff and that protecting their health and safety is fundamental to improving business performance, as well as being a legal requirement.

We have been running a number of campaigns in Scotland this year, all designed to keep the workforce safe and healthy. Our highly successful Shattered Lives campaign reinforced the potential dangers of the risks from slips, trips and falls. In March, our construction inspectors were out in force in all parts of Scotland as part of its rolling inspection programme targeting poor performing sectors in the construction industry.

In far too many cases, we were appalled at what we found, and ordered work to be stopped. Where we saw dangerous activity, we took action.

HSE is committed to working closely with workers, unions, employers and parliamentarians to drive up workplace standards. We are delighted the Scottish Parliament chose to recognise the contribution made to Scotland by working people.

Trevor Johnson is principal inspector at the Health and Safety Executive