The Tory Future - Workers Dare Not Report Injuries

The future working environment of the health and safety of British industry in the event the Tories get into power next year has been foretold in a study just issued in the United States.

Readers of this website will know form the recently reported document from the Concervative Party outlining their massive overhaul of health & safety legislation and culture in the UK, in preference for introducing the American system of self accreditation and policing of health and safety.

According to the report from the official Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than two-thirds of injured or sick workers in the US fear employer discipline or even losing their jobs if their injuries are reported.
The GAO survey of more than 1,000 occupational health practitioners found a third of these health professionals reported being pressured by employers to provide insufficient treatments to workers to hide or downplay work-related injuries or illnesses.

More than half of the practitioners said they were pressured by an employer to downplay an injury or illness so it wouldn't be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) official log that tracks workplace injuries and illnesses.

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumkasaid the GAO report confirms what rank-and-file workers, local union safety activists and workplace safety professionals have long said. “Employer policies and practices that discourage the reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses are widespread and are undermining the safety and health of America's workers.” he said. “These destructive and discriminatory practices must be stopped.”

AFL-CIO said the report also confirms the findings of its recent survey of local and national unions that found many employer 'safety' programmes actually discourage reporting and recording of workplace injuries.

More than half of local union leaders surveyed reported there were safety incentive programmes, injury discipline programmes, absenteeism policies with demerits for injuries and/or post-injury drug testing policies in their workplaces and that these policies discouraged the reporting of workplace injuries by workers.

You can read the report on line here

Source:TUC Risks

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