HSC Chair stresses the vital link between health and safety and active involvement of the workforce

C003:07 21 March 2007

Delivering the annual lecture in memory of Sir Pat Lowry, the former Acas Chairman, Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission, stressed the vital link between good health and safety and active employee involvement and set out the challenges that have to be met to prevent harm to workers and to promote health and well being in the workplace.

Bill Callaghan paid tribute to the ground breaking work of the Robens Committee's work leading to the enactment of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act in 1974. Robens, who recognised that the new statutory arrangements should be designed to provide a framework for better self-regulation, wrote "Safety and health at work is a matter of efficient management. But it is not a management prerogative. Workpeople must be encouraged to participate fully."

Citing the success of the close collaboration between Acas and HSE on stress management Bill Callaghan called on other stakeholders to follow this lead, "Health and safety needs to re-discover its roots, re-discover the art of the possible, rather than pursue the ideal of the perfect. The human relations and health and safety communities need to work more closely together to achieve this goal."

Bill Callaghan praised the partnerships between trade unions and employer and trade organisations in industries such as construction, paper and board and quarrying. Innovative approaches had been put in place by employers and trade unions which had resulted in the building of constructive and fruitful partnerships, genuine worker involvement and consultation, the reduction in disputes and the achievement of exemplary standards of health and safety. But these arrangements were not as numerous as they might be.

Bill Callaghan added that employers and unions might both have missed opportunities, "It must be to the benefit of both the regulator and the regulated that we spend less of our scarce resources on the relatively good performers and more on the poor performers. But in this country, unions have viewed initiatives such as the US Voluntary Protection Programme with suspicion. And on the other side of the table some employers may well be suspicious of giving trade union or other employee representatives more of a role, for example a quality assurance check on the company's safety performance and procedures."

Bill Callaghan also emphasised the need for genuine involvement and consultation rather than rigid structures. The aim should be to achieve progress by mutual consent.

Bill Callaghan went on to say, "My view is that informal regulation via unions and employers will be more efficient and less onerous than regulation imposed externally, either by HSE or through the courts." "Joined up inspection", he said, " had a considerable role to play too if we are to achieve our health and safety goals and the case for joining up the different labour market inspection regimes had considerable attraction. Not every health and safety problem needs a new law. We also need to work closely with our partners to join up and make readily accessible the wealth of advice, guidance and best practice that already exists. Self-regulation and worker involvement are inextricably linked."

Bill Callaghan concluded: "We have come a long way since the early 19th century, though we cannot take the safety improvements made for granted. Inspectorates need to work more closely together, as do employers and employee representatives, not just to prevent harm but to promote well being, good jobs and a high performing and competitive workplace. Now there is a challenge for us all. And we meet that challenge through partnership."

Notes to editors

1. The Lowry Lecture is held annually in honour of Sir Pat Lowry. Sir Pat was a former chair of Acas, a Visiting Professor at the University of Warwick, a member of the Warwick Business School Advisory Board and close associate of the Industrial Relations Research Unit.
2. Bill Callaghan addressed an audience comprising of employer organisations, trade unions, other government departments, health and safety and human resources practitioners and academics at the Lowry Memorial Lecture at the EEF, Broadway House, Tothill Street, London SW1 on Tuesday 20 March 2007. Acas and the University of Warwick sponsor the annual Lowry lecture.
3. The HSC has overall responsibility for occupational health and safety regulations in Great Britain. The Commission consists of a Chairman and 9 members. It is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP Minister for occupational health and safety is Lord McKenzie of Luton.

More information on HSE : www.hse.gov.uk. The full text of the lecture can be accessed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/speeches/archive.htm

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