HSE Chair speaks at TUC Conference 'Health And Safety And Worker Involvement'

E057:08 17 November 2008

Judith Hackitt, Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has emphasised the important role of safety representatives in achieving successful management of workplace health and safety.

Judith Hackitt was delivering the keynote speech to safety representatives attending the 'Health and Safety and Worker Involvement' conference held by the TUC's Southern and Eastern Region (SERTUC) at Congress House in London on Friday 14 November. She outlined HSE's views of worker involvement, and how HSE intended to build on the success of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to continue to improve workplace health and safety in the 21st century. 

Judith Hackitt said:

"Throughout my working life it has always been the case that the workforce has been fully involved in health and safety and the importance of safety representatives has never been questioned - because it's never been in any doubt. In some ways, I am surprised that we continue to have to promote the benefits in worker involvement in health and safety given that in my own personal experience I find it hard to imagine how one could ever put in place an effective workplace health and safety system that did not include real participation and engagement of the workforce."

Judith Hackitt noted that thirty years of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 had brought a great reduction in workplace deaths and had seen Great Britain secure one of the best health and safety performances in the world. Trailing the December launch of the consultation on HSE's new strategy for health and safety, Judith Hackitt said:

"The strategy will set out to optimise the performance of the overall health and safety system. It will clarify the roles of the regulated, the regulator, the workforce and the many others who are part of the system. HSE will make it clear that worker involvement and consultation is important in every organisation - where trades unions are present and where they are not and in all organisations irrespective of their size or dispersal of work locations."

The strategy will also aim to regain the real health and safety brand, and promote the benefits of its proper management.

"Health and safety does not stop anyone from doing their job - it actually enables them to do it more safely and efficiently. This ranges from finding better ways to help emergency services to perform risk assessments and anticipate problems before they find themselves in life/death situations so that they can quickly adopt the right measures, to enabling small firms to comply with legislative requirements in a simple proportionate manner."

Notes to editors

1. Judith Hackitt was appointed Chair of the HSE on 1 October 2007. She trained as a Chemical Engineer at Imperial College, London and was previously employed as Group Risk Manager at Elementis PLC with world-wide responsibility for health and safety insurance and litigation. In 1998 Ms Hackitt joined the Chemical Industries Association as Director of Business and Environment. She became Director General of the Association in April 2002. She was appointed as a member of the Health and Safety Commission (now the HSE) on the same date. She held that post until December 2005. She was awarded a CBE in June 2006 for her services to health and safety at work.
2. The HSE Board has overall responsibility for occupational health and safety regulations in Great Britain, and HSE and Local Authorities are the enforcing authorities that work in support of the Board. For more information on health and safety at work visit www.hse.gov.uk. Information on worker involvement can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/
3. HSE will launch the consultation on its new strategy on 3 December at venues in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

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