HSE and EEF launch ground-breaking partnership to promote health and safety in manufacturing

HSE press release E008:06 - 27 January 2006

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today signed a ground-breaking partnership agreement with EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, to promote effective health and safety management across manufacturing industries.

The agreement, the first of its kind between HSE and other organisations, builds on a strong history of co-operation. It recognises EEF's expertise in the field of health and safety and the quality advice and services it provides to member companies.

The partnership will provide manufacturing companies with an improved network for communication with HSE. This will allow them to receive the latest information and guidance from the regulator, as well as offering opportunities to feedback issues, concerns and examples of good practice.

Industry will also benefit from joint seminar and training events covering issues that particularly effect manufacturing. These will feature technical input from HSE's specialist staff, as well as information on best practice and implementation from EEF's network of health and safety professionals.

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), said in his keynote speech at the launch:

"I am sure that the EEF/HSE partnership will help us achieve our vision of being a modern, 21 st century regulator. I hope all here at the partnership launch recognise the great benefits that regulation can bring in protecting people at work. But we all know that ill-designed regulation can bring unnecessary burden. Getting the balance right can be tricky but you have already helped us on difficult issues."

On signing the agreement EEF Director General, Martin Temple said: "Manufacturing companies take their health and safety responsibilities extremely seriously. This agreement is a recognition not only of EEF's expertise in this area, but a signal of our commitment to promoting effective health and safety as part of a best practice business culture."

HSE Head of Field Operations, Sandra Caldwell signed the agreement for HSE, commenting: "This partnership agreement reflects a relationship of equals interested in a strong manufacturing sector with a healthy and safe workforce. It offers improved communications, better co-ordination of effort, greater efficiency in the delivery of effort and empowers us to work together more effectively without constraining initiative."

The partnership between the two organisations will extend across England, Wales and Scotland, establishing close links between staff operating in every region.

Notes to editors

1. EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, has a membership of 6,000 manufacturing, engineering and technology-based businesses and represents the interests of manufacturing at all levels. Further information on the organisation can be found at: www.eef.org.uk

2. Part of the HSC's strategy for workplace health and safety involves developing innovative partnerships in the public and private sectors to develop the provision of occupational health and safety support locally, regionally or by sector according to need. At the core of this support will be the principle of proactive management of health risk. Further information can be found in the document 'A strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond' at: www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/strategiesandplans/strategy.htm

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