WSA Challenge fund second round opens for business

HSC press release C050:04 - 1 December 2004

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), today announced the opening of the second round of the Worker Safety Adviser (WSA) Challenge Fund. The fund operated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will run between April 2005 and March 2007.

The aim of the fund is to inspire organisations to collaborate on projects that encourage and promote employees and their employers to work together to drive improvements in managing health and safety. The scheme focuses on small firms and organizations that lack such arrangements. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to improve health and safety, support the work of a WSA to promote worker involvement and demonstrate the vitality of the partnerships they have established to achieve this aim.

Project North East (PNE) manages the WSA Challenge Fund on HSE's behalf. The application form and details of how to apply can be found at : http://www.wsa-cf.org/.

Bill Callaghan said: "We want to build on the success of this year's projects. We have already seen enterprising projects having an impact, making worker involvement in health and safety happen."

"Increasing worker involvement has been shown to improve health and safety performance and is a key part of HSC's strategy. The WSA Challenge Fund is designed to help build partnerships that drive safety and health improvements. This is a great opportunity to get resources to help those who need them most - the employers and employees of small firms. We are again looking for innovative bids that show commitment to working together with partners and using WSAs as a lever for improvement."

The maximum grant available during the second round is £200,000 spread over two years (£100,000 for April 2005 - March 2006 followed by a further £100,000 for April 2006 to March 2007). Up to £1 million pounds is available for each year. There will be a level playing field with current projects competing against new bids based on the quality of their applications.

Partnerships applying for funding can include workers, trade unions, employers trade associations, local authorities, voluntary organizations, chambers of commerce, professional bodies and other organizations committed to working together.

An independent Management Board appointed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will assess applications. Award winners for the second round of the Fund will be announced in March 2004, with funding commencing in 1 April 2005.

Completed and signed application forms should be sent to: Les Johnson Business Support Services, Project North East, 7-15 Pink Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DW, to reach him by Friday 21 January 2005.

Notes to editors

1. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, announced the creation of the Fund in October 2003. It will make available up to £3 million over three years, from July 2004 to March 2007, for projects to drive improvements in occupational health and safety, in small businesses, by promoting and securing worker involvement through WSAs (see www.hse.gov.uk/press/2003/c03052.htm).
2. The first round of the WSA Challenge Fund ran from 31 March to 7 May 2004 (see www.hse.gov.uk/press/2004/c04013.htm).
3. The first round award winners were announced on 30 June 2004 (for details of successful first round projects see www.hse.gov.uk/press/2004/c04026.htm).
4. HSC published its strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond on 23 February 2004 (see www.hse.gov.uk/press/2004/c04007.htm). The strategy aims to promote a vision of health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilized society and to achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world.
5. A WSA Pilot run in 2002 introduced new mechanisms for deploying safety representatives into small firms to act as WSAs. The success of the pilot contributed to the setting up of the fund. For more details see: www.hse.gov.uk/press/2003/c03045.htm.

Press enquiries

All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the HSE Press Office