This is the most poignant question that anyone can ask of the present government who's cruel attack on health and safety legislation and the working conditions of british people will send the country back to when the appalling conditions endured by workers during the industrial revolution saw the beginnings of the Trade union movement and the need for health and safety legislation. Making her views known on the governments Red Tape Challenge website on 13th April, Dorothy Wright asks this simple question in her (heavily edited) contribution to the debate about the scrapping of existing health and safety legislation and government attacks on H&S enforcement. Referring to section 2 to 11 of the Health And Safety At Work Act, Dorothy commented: "I am not surprised at the ignorance of the actual Heath and Safety laws shown by some of those commenting on here Please read the sections I have mentioned above EVERY single one of them are vital to protecting employees from unscrupulous employers who have no qualms about risking the lives of their workforce" Dorothy, who first became involved in health and safety campaigning through FACK (Families Against Corporate Killing) when she lost her son to an avoidable accident in his work; began her impassioned argument: "6 years ago today my son died following an explosion and fireball at his employer’s premises. [text deleted]… the justice system and the politicians protect the powerful business lobby and are reluctant to criminalize killer employers even serial killers of which there are quite a few. Dorothy continues: "The devastation of the victims family is total ,not only in a lot of cases have children lost a father or mother, they are left in financial difficulties, as it is in most cases it is the bread winner who is killed, surviving partner is often too ill to carry on working and so must resort to claiming benefit ,taking in lots of cases years to recover ,the schooling of older children can be is so badly disrupted that they do not achieve the expected level of qualifications and so spend their lives without he necessary bits of paper to gain well paid work perpetuating the suffering down through the generations. Her argument is one which will be well known to all those who have suffered from work related illness and lost loved ones as a result of a needless accident at work. She continues: "Good health and Safety saves employers money in staff sickness, in insurance premiums, in having a workforce that is well trained and knows that their safety is considered important Poor health and safety costs families immeasurable grief, financial ruin, children blighted for life and a huge cost to the tax payer who has to pick up the tab for extra benefit costs and NHS costs. The employer pays very little, even their legal costs of defending them in H&S court cases is met by their insurers while the family get no legal assistance whatsoever." Dorothy goes further and debunks the myth that this government likes to peddle at every opportunity as its excuse for the abolition of health and safety legislation and enforcement agencies: "Far from being the ‘safest country in the world’ for Occupational health and safety as they quote, Britain is actually 30th in ranking and if we go down the route of deregulating health and safety at work still further we will drop much further as deaths will increase dramatically, although the true toll will be further hidden by their destruction of the whole HSE so no one at all will be counting." But her biggest indictment of the current British government attitude toward health and safety in the workplace comes towards the end of her contribution to the Red Tape Challenge debate: "EVERY regulation in HSAWA has been put there over the years for good reason. People have died because of the lack of them.
No one has ever died from the irritation it seems to cause people having to attend the odd safety course or reading notices pinned on walls, people die every day because some employers consider protecting their lives a 'burden' and a nuisance. Dorothy then concludes her argument with this impassioned plea: "I have left the country in disgust, my son is already dead but my grand children still live and now work in Britain. Whilst most of us have not suffered such a terrible experience as having a loved one killed at the place of their work, Dorothy's contribution will touch the heart of those involved in this debate. It is of paramount importance that the death of workers, such as Dorothy's son, does not go unheeded and that everyone reading this gets involved in defending current health and safety legislation and enforcement and fights for the introduction of appropriate penalties for those who injure and kill their employees as a result of the negligence and lack of care. Join the debate and make your views known - don't just sit there!! Join the debate here Read Dorothy's Red Tape Challenge contribution in full here Source: Red Tape Challenge / Hilda Palmer / Dorothy Wright |