Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of the Health & Safety Executive, paints a picture of workplace health & safety enforcement that no one within the Health & Safety community of Union Safety Reps, Hazards Campaign, and the TUC; recognises.
The reality is that the HSE has become a commercial entity, as opposed to being the enforcer of workplace health and safety legislation, and ensuring British workplaces and their employers; abiding by all H&S Legislation that applies to their industry and work processes, preventing workplace injuries and deaths; being pro-active as opposed to simply reactive and profit making via prosecutions.
Whilst Sarah Albon celebrates her being given a gong in the New Year's Honours list, clearly for her steadfast implementation of the Tory Government's policies of 'cutting H&S Red Tape' and leaving businesses without appropriate investigation and workplace inspections since being appointed CEO; her statement on the 50th Anniversary of the Health & Safety Executive, is a parody on the reality of the complete failure of the HSE under her watch to tackle the increasing death and injuries in British workplaces and the disgrace of the Britain being the 'sick man of Europe'!
Avoidable deaths and injuries at work are increasing, the HSE statistics are in fact inaccurate and do NOT show the true work related cost of ill-health, injuries and death that continue to occur.
Hazards Campaign has been highlighting thee HSE's failings for many years and challenge the HSE statistics. The Hazards Magazine Oct-Dec 2023 edition ran a detailed report into the total indifference the HSE attaches to work-related suicide - click the pic to go to the website article.
This is not the only failing of the HSE's recording of work-related deaths and injuries, which discounts the true nature of the dangers facing employees at work; and the risk of deaths and injuries. It refuses to this day to include work-related suicides and does not record accurate statistics of work-place deaths, injuries, and illnesses:
* The HSE continues not to publish the total numbers of people killed through work
related incidents and disease.
* Failing to expose the impact of employers’ non-compliance and criminal negligence, means that the actual risk that workers and members of the public face are underestimated, and that cuts continue to be made to our health, safety and welfare regulation and enforcement.
* The reality is, that far more workers than officially reported suffer appalling working conditions, that put them at risk of injury, death or illness, at huge cost to themselves, their families and the economy.
* The Hazards Campaign estimate that each year, at least 6 million workers are made ill, and 60,000 killed and the real number of people injured by work is estimated to be many times more than the HSE estimate.
You can download from the Unionsafety E-Library: The Whole Story - Work Related Injuries Illness And Deaths Updated March 2023
Here is Sarah Albon's whitewash statement on the 50th Anniversary of the HSE:
This is no ordinary new years’ message. Because on 1 January, 50 years ago, the regulator I am proud to lead was formed.
Over the past half century, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has led the way in establishing Great Britain as a safe place to work. As we look ahead to the next 50 years, we recognise there is still much for us to take on.
We’re proud of our successes over the last 50 years but the fact remains that any work-related death is a tragedy, and there are still far too many workers suffering ill-health brought about by work activity.
Protecting people and places
In 2022, we launched Protecting people and places, HSE strategy 2022 to 2032, our 10 year strategy to build on HSE’s strong foundations and address our current and future challenges.
It was important for us to set out our stall with this strategy, because over the 5 years I’ve been HSE’s chief executive, much of my time has been spent looking at requests from all sections of society to expand our role beyond workplaces and into issues that can cause harm to communities and the environment too.
While we’ve carefully considered all these requests, we are not best placed to lead on everyone. But we’ve certainly taken on big new areas of responsibility and expect to see our work grow over time.
Changing as the world changes
So today, HSE’s role goes beyond worker protection to include public safety assurance on a range of issues. Recent years have added new responsibilities, such as becoming the appointed Building Safety Regulator and playing an extended role in chemical regulation, post Brexit.
The world of work has transformed dramatically over the past 50 years. As workplaces and work practices have evolved, so too have we, continually adapting and improving the way we work
New technologies in the workplace, including the introduction of artificial intelligence, the growth of the gig economy and government’s net zero targets, all introduce new challenges, but HSE is well placed to meet these.
HSE is a centre of excellence in science research, and everything we do is underpinned by scientific expertise. We work hard to research new patterns and trends that could put people and places at risk in the future.
Founding principles as relevant as ever
It is hard to foresee what the world of work will look like in the next 50 years but as ever, our fundamental principle will continue to be to make sure that those who create risk, take responsibility for controlling risk, and those who fail to do so will be held to account.
We will continue to work with businesses, with industry, with other regulators and with government, to enable innovation and strong economic growth, while we continue to deliver our founding principles as we work to protect people and places.
HSE is a leading voice, but it is important to recognise that we do not act alone. We’ll continue to focus on collaboration with partners, in industry, government and you. As we face the future, whatever changes we face, we will draw on our values and our collective expertise. We will rise to the challenge and together, we’ll protect people and places.
Source: HSE / Hazards Magazine
See also: The Whole Story - Work Related Injuries Illness And Deaths Updated March2023
