FREE GUIDANCE AND ON SITE SUPPORT TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND SAFETY IN TEXTILES AND FOOTWEAR

HSC press release: C023:03 - 6 June 2003

A new, free 'mentoring' service is being launched to help small companies in the textile and footwear manufacturing industries improve health and safety standards. The service is being provided by the Textile Industries Advisory Committee (TEXIAC) which brings together employers, trade unions and the Health and Safety Executive, (HSE).

Ian Cook, of HSE's Manufacturing Sector, commented:

"The service will provide support for participating companies, including an HSE mentor, who will visit the company by appointment to help carry out a sample audit, and help the company prepare an action plan to prioritise steps to reduce the risk of injury of ill health. This will be followed by continued support and advice."

Participation in the audit will be entirely voluntary, and those companies taking part will be exempt from HSE's round of formal inspections. Companies will receive a certificate in recognition of their participation, and the company submitting the best action plan will be presented with an award at the TEXIAC open meeting on 14th January 2004.

Initially mentoring will be limited to 20 companies and support is in the first instance being offered to companies employing 50 or less.

Notes for editors:

1. TEXIAC is a tripartite committee, made up of representatives of the CBI and TUC and HSE. Its primary aim is to reduce injuries and ill-health caused by work in the textile, footwear and clothing industries. It also promotes acceptable standards of working conditions and welfare in conformity with legal requirements.

2. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and HSE are seeking to engage with small firms in an nnovative way to make sure that their particular needs are addressed. This is one of the key aims of the Government's Revitalising Health and Safety strategy which strives to inject new impetus into the health and safety agenda and to identify new ways of further reducing rates of accidents and ill health caused by work, especially in respect of small firms.

3. The Government and HSC launched the 'Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Document' on 7 June 2000. The ten-point strategy, supported by a 44-point action plan, announced tough targets for reducing work-related deaths, ill-health and injury in Britain over the next 10 years.

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