HEALTH AND SAFETY IS KEY TO A CIVILISED SOCIETY SAYS SAFETY WATCHDOG

HSC press release: C033:03 - 21 July 2003

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has said that health and safety is key to a civilised society and that Britain can and should achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world.

The call comes as HSC publishes its Business Plan for 2003/04. This sets out the key priorities HSC, working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authorities and partners in business and trade unions will take forward this year to deliver the challenging health and safety targets set out in its Strategic Plan for 2001/04.

HSC Chair Bill Callaghan said:

"Good health and safety practice must be an integral part of company culture - responsibility starts at the top, in the boardroom and with the chair or chief executive. The key to achieving success is partnership between management, workers and their representatives, for them to work together in order to achieve sustainable improvements in working practices."

"This plan builds on the progress we have made over the first two years of the Strategic Plan 2001 - 2004 published in 2001. It continues our commitments to focus on those hazards and industries where significant improvements in health and safety are needed now if the targets are to be met; ensure an effective regulatory regime in the major hazards sectors, secure compliance with the law; and carry out our statutory functions"

"The HSC Business Plan builds on the partnership and consultative approach of the Strategic Plan which took on board views from employers, workers, unions, professional bodies, government organisations, and enforcing authorities.

HSE Director General, Timothy Walker said:

"This Business Plan identifies our commitment continuously to improve and change the way we work. During this year HSC and HSE will be looking beyond the current Strategic Plan and will be working with stakeholders to develop a strategy for health and safety that will take us to 2010 and beyond. Our vision for this strategy is to gain recognition of health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society, and with that, achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world.

"The challenges involved in delivering our current plans and the national health and safety targets have highlighted the need for us to change and develop new ways to establish and improve an effective health and safety culture in a changing economy."

Notes to editors

1. The national improvement targets were announced as part of the Government and HSC's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative, which was launched by Bill Callaghan and the Deputy Prime Minister on 7 June 2000. The targets are to reduce the number of working days lost per 100, 000 workers from work related injury and ill health by 30% by 2010; reduce incidence rate of fatal and major injury incidents by 10% by 2010; reduce incidence rate of cases of work related ill health by 20% by 2010; and achieve half of each improvement target by 2004.

2. In order to achieve the targets, the HSC has selected eight priority programmes covering hazards or sectors of industry where major improvements are most needed - falls from height; workplace transport; musculoskeletal disorders; work-related stress; agriculture; construction; health services and; slips and trips.

3. The HSC is required to present a plan to Ministers outlining what it intends to do each year. The Strategic Plan 2001/04 was presented to Ministers in 2001/02. It contained details of what activities HSC would pursue for the 2001/02. The HSC Business Plan for 2003/04 details what activities HSC will pursue for this year and can be viewed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/plans/hscplans/plan0304.htm

Copies of Business Plan for 2003/04 MISC 601or the HSC Strategic Plan 2001/2004 MISC 319, can be ordered online at: http://books.hse.gov.uk

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