The TUC has warned that a David Cameron-commissioned report into workplace safety is likely to be 'seriously unbalanced'. The overdue report has been trailed repeatedly by its author, former Tory cabinet minister Lord Young, who gave his latest preview to last week's Conservative Party conference. He told delegates the review 'deals with non-hazardous activities where the risks are very low but the bureaucracy unbelievably high.'
He revealed a major bugbear was advertising by 'no-win, no-fee' lawyers. He said: 'What a temptation this provides to someone watching afternoon television. This is not access to justice; this is incitement to litigate - and it must stop!'
Also attracting Lord Young's ire was risk assessments, with the Tory peer commenting: 'How did we manage before we had all these Risk Assessment forms?' He said: 'This is really about getting the economy going. This is about getting rid of unnecessary restrictions - the red tape that harms enterprise and protects no one. It is about restoring an enterprise economy so we can pay our way in the world again.'
He added that the report's recommendations would become government policy. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson warned: 'The signs are that Lord Young's report will be seriously unbalanced. For sure silly things are sometimes done in the name of health and safety and the behaviour of some claims firms can be reprehensible. But the real health and safety scandal in the UK is the 20,000 people who die each year due to injury or diseases linked to their work.'
Robertson added: 'A serious review of health and safety would put far more emphasis on dealing with this avoidable death and suffering. Losing a loved one to an occupational disease is rather more serious than losing out on the chance to join a pancake race.' Critics say Lord Young is more interested in soundbites than facts. Workplace personal injury claims have fallen dramatically in recent years, as have workplace fatalities, something credited to the current regulatory system. And stopping risk assessments required by UK and European law is not within the peer's gift.
The TUC has called upon Trades Councils and union branches to lobby their MPs in defence of health and safety during European Health and Safety Week (25th-29th October).
