HSC press release: - C026:04 - 30 June 2004
Andrew Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, today announced the twelve award winners from the Workers' Safety Adviser (WSA) Challenge Fund, a grant scheme designed to increase worker involvement and consultation. Each project has been awarded between £33,000 and £100,000 to build partnerships and drive improvements in occupational health and safety. Winners are from a wide range of industries, including construction, hospitality, retail and the voluntary sector. Project partners include trade unions, trade associations, local authorities, primary care trusts, voluntary and business organisations.
Workers who have a voice, influence and responsibility on health and safety matters are safer and healthier than those who do not; increasing worker involvement is a key part of the Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) strategy published earlier this year. An essential part of the vision expressed in the strategy is a fully involved workforce and a vibrant system of workplace health and safety representatives operating in partnership with management.
The Department for Work and Pensions has provided funding of £3 million for the Challenge Fund over a three-year period. WSAs will promote partnership working between workers and employers to identify and manage risks together and provide an expert source of health and safety information. The focus of the Fund is small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lacking arrangements for involving their workforce in the management of their own and others' health and safety.
Andrew Smith said:
"Great Britain loses over 33 million work days through work related ill health each year. This just isn't acceptable. The new strategy for Health and Safety in Great Britain recognises that to bring about further improvements we need to win the hearts and minds of everybody in the workplace - hence the focus on working in partnership with stakeholders.
"But how to bring this about? Through today's awards from the WSA Challenge Fund we hope to see 40 influential partners and 28 Worker Safety Advisers reach out to about 35,000 workers to give them ownership in measurable and sustained changes in their organisations' culture and behaviour."
Bill Callaghan, Chair of HSC, said:
"We had a tremendous response to the WSA Challenge Fund, in terms of both the quantity and quality of bids. The award winners all have excellent plans for building partnerships and driving improvements in occupational health and safety.
"The WSA Challenge Fund demonstrates that we are committed to being a good partner - working with others to improve health and safety. We're very pleased that the winners represent a good cross-section of industries and regions as this gives us an opportunity to develop wide-ranging partnerships. We will work with them to explore the impact and effectiveness of the Workers' Safety Adviser approach."
| Name, location and status of Lead partner | Other partners | Project location | Sector/s | Project description | Funding requested | No of WSAs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Glass Sheffield Not-for-profit trade association |
Ceramics & Allied Trade Union | GB-wide | 40 glass and ceramic businesses | Two Worker Safety Advisers with a caseload of 40 organisations. By creating a partnership between trade associations, trade unions and the 40 companies involved, the project aims to raise awareness of the importance of health and safety at both employer and employee levels. The project aims to increase health and safety knowledge on topics such as risk management, hazard identification and training techniques | £92k | 2 |
| Coalfields Regeneration Trust Rotherham Charity |
Community Services UK Ltd TGWU |
GB-wide | 20 voluntary and community workplaces | The project will provide a system of Worker Safety Advisers who will promote a health and safety culture of involvement, consultation, co-operation and partnership working within the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and its member organisations | £64k | 4 |
| Community Ventures Middlesbrough Charity |
Development Trusts Association Amicus |
GB-wide | 20 voluntary and community places | The project will provide a system of Worker Safety Advisers who will promote a health and safety culture of involvement, consultation, co-operation and partnership working within the Development Trusts Association and its member organisations | £62k | 4 |
| Enworks Manchester Voluntary |
Groundwork West Cumbria Business Link East Lancashire Business Link North Manchester Groundwork Wirral Groundwork Environmental Business Sevices UNISON |
North West | 160 construction, hospitality retail and voluntary SMEs | The project will create a service in the North West from which health and safety training, advice and support can be provided to small firms. The service will help employers and their employees realise and deal with their responsibilities to health and safety. The ultimate aim of this project is that any small firm in the area will be able to access this support at no cost | £100k | 3 |
| Federation of Master Builders London Employers' Association |
UCATT TGWU |
South West | 175 construction SMEs | Through setting up a sustainable Worker Safety Adviser scheme for the federation's members and their employees, the project aims to engage with the workforce to increase its understanding of health and safety policies and practices on site, was well as develop communication between employers and workers | £90k | 3.5 |
| GMB London Trade Union |
Asbestos Control Division of the Thermal Insulation Contractors Association | Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire | 19 asbestos removal businesses | This project for the hazardous asbestos removal industry aims through the promotion of worker involvement to create a positive health and safety culture and increased self-regulation within the industry. This will be done by promoting areas such as communication, positive health and safety attitudes and effective management techniques | £40k | 1 |
| Health@Work Liverpool Charity |
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce Liverpool Business Partnership Group |
Liverpool | 40 hospitality and retail SMEs | Working within Liverpool's hospitality and retail industry, the project aims to enhance the capacity of employers and employees to deal with health and safety issues. Worker Safety Advisers will work with employers and their staff to establish practices such as workplace safety representatives, risk assessments and disability access audits | £74k | 2 |
| HealthWorks in London Newham Voluntary |
London Borough of Newham UNISON Access Partners African Carribean Business Network Newham Chamber of Commerce Newham Primary Care Trust |
East London | 500 SMEs | Working with small firms in East London, the project aims to increase communication between employers and employees so that they can work together to improve health and safety standards. The project is particularly interested in promoting the use of 'body mapping' to help workers and their employers establish their occupational health needs | £41k | 2 |
| Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council Huddersfield Local Authority |
-Huddersfield South Primary Care Trust Central Huddersfield Primary Care Trust Kirklees Primary Care Trust |
Kirklees, West Yorkshire | Up to 470 SMEs | The project will create an integrated occupational health and safety support service; aimed at small firms and provided at no cost. Working actively with both employers and employees, the project aims to help them work together with areas such as policy, risk assessment and training | £50k | 2 |
| Park Royal Partnership West London Not-for-profit urban regeneration company |
-GMB | Park Royal, West London | 60 food SMEs | Targeted at small firms in the West London food sector, the project aims to raise awareness of health and safety amongst the work force and increase communication between employers and their staff. To achieve this the project will provide services such as practical advice on health and safety issues, legislation and training | £70k | 1 |
| Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service Sheffield Charity |
Voluntary Action Sheffield | Sheffield | 50 voluntary SMEs | To provide voluntary sector organisations with a framework, involving both employers and employees, for preventing accidents and ill health to both themselves and their clients. The project will include services such as the provision of self-reporting systems and stress management techniques | £33k | 1 |
| UCATT London Trade Union |
Construction Federation National Federation of Builders |
Midlands | 130 construction SMEs | Working with small firms in the West Midlands construction industry, this project aims to improve health and safety management. Utilising Worker Safety Advisers the project aims to motivate workers to take an active role in preventing accidents and ill health in the workplace, and promote the benefits of worker involvement to employers | £69k | 2.5 |
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