Tory Hypocrisy Over Health & Safety Exposed At British Safety Council Event

Mark Hoban MP for Fareham and Tory Minister for Employment is the public face of the coalition government’s hypocrisy when it comes to health and safety at work protection of employees.

Whilst presiding over unprecedented slashing of health & safety legislation and public vilification of the need to protect workers from death and injuries in their travel to and in places of work; this government are responsible for the continuing diatribe aimed at the public; that health and safety is mere ‘red tape’!

Indeed they will end up presiding over an increasing number of injuries and deaths as they put in place an American system of health and safety management – minimal legislation with no pro-active inspections by enforcers.

Given the above, some will find it incredulous that the minister is to attend, on 5th June, British Safety Council’s conference extolling the virtues of health and safety protection of workers as a tool to increase productivity and profits of businesses!

Yet, he was part of the drive toward the Government’s Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, which they sneakily amended at the very last minute – at Report Stage – in the House of Commons to remove a basic right of injured workers.

The subject of the amendment, an additional new clause (section 61) now means that a worker can be injured due to an employers’ breach of a statutory duty within health and safety at work regulations but the worker will be prevented from enforcing that breach.

His attendance at such an important British Safety Council event where he will no doubt extol the virtues of health and safety as a good business tool, will be seen by many as quite frankly astonishing.

The British Safety Council annual conference as described by the council is promoting the business case for health and safety and the business benefits of well managed health and safety.

The event being hosted in the CBI’s Centre Point building in London will provide the opportunity for speakers, panelist and the audience to explore what drives good health and safety and examine the extent to which the effective management of health and safety risks is good for the bottom line.

The British Safety Council website explains further:

“The conference will comprise presentations, case studies, panel discussions and q&a sessions led by questions from the delegates.  This event provides you with the opportunity to hear from the experts on the business case for health and safety, on what drives compliance and current developments including the Löfstedt reforms.  

There will also be an interactive drama delivered by the 2macs in which the performers will explore the consequences of what can go wrong when time and resource constraints are allowed to comprise effective risk management.”

With the exception of Mike Clancy, General Secretary Prospect union, no Trade Union expertise is presented at the conference and it is clearly bias toward the CBI view that health and safety should be managed in order to ensure it has minimum impact on business activity, rather than promoting the fact that there should be no compromise in the need to ensure a safe and healthy working environment and safe processes for employees.    

Perhaps it is this point which gives Mark Hoban’s attendance some credibility.

Source: BSC / Unionsafety

For a detailed explanation of the amendment to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill and its affect on health & safety, download Thompsons Solicitors analysis document from the E-Library Database using search category 'Health and Safety Legislation'

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