British Sky Broadcasting forum recognizes importance of staff/management dialogue on health and safety

HSE Press Release: E021:05 - 18 February 2005

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today welcomes the launch of a new initiative by British Sky Broadcasting (Sky) that involves employees in open dialogue about a wide range of workplace issues including health and safety matters. The Sky Forum, a panel of 67 staff representatives elected by Sky’s 13,000 employees, gives staff a platform to air their views and discuss ideas, not only with fellow employees but also with senior management and members of Sky’s executive committee.

The Sky Forum shows how pro-active initiatives by employers to involve employees, on all levels, can be effective in bringing about improvements in health and safety systems. In addition to consulting staff on health and safety, the Forum acts as a channel for two-way communication about Sky’s business objectives and other workplace issues such as training and development. Members of the Sky Forum meet up to six times a year.

This exciting development comes at a time when the Health and Safety Commission has a new strategy for workplace health and safety. One of the Commission’s priorities is to get workers more involved in how health and safety risks are managed in the workplace. The Sky Forum is an excellent example of how a company, even one as large and as geographically dispersed as Sky, can put in place arrangements for consulting its employees. Bill Hazleton is the London based HSE Inspector who has been most closely associated with Sky in the last two years. He says, “An actively engaged workforce is fundamental to successful health and safety. A consultative approach can improve the bottom line of a company by reducing injuries and ill health. I am confident that the Sky Forum will bring real benefits to Sky and its employees.”

Mark Sayer, Sky’s Group Head of Health and Safety, said: “Sky has launched this initiative because it recognises the importance of open dialogue about important workplace issues such as health and safety. We want the Forum to be a real voice for Sky staff and to help us to achieve continued business success.”

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Commission’s strategy was launched on 23 February 2004, with the publication of A strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond. This can be viewed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/strategiesandplans/strategy.htm

2. One of the four main planks of the strategy is: ‘Helping people to benefit from effective health and safety management and a sensible health and safety culture’. Within this, importance is place on promoting greater involvement of workers. The strategy recognises the people best placed to make workplaces safe are staff and managers, and that employees are often best able to spot issues and bring about real improvements.

Press enquiries

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