Union members must 'act now' to protect workplace health and safety rights and standards from an unprecedented attack, public sector union UNISON has said. Its short guide on 'The threat to health and safety' says the system protecting workers 'is under greater threat now than at any other time.' In addition to cuts to the Health and Safety Executive's funding and a significant reduction in official workplace safety inspections, it warns 'hard-won health and safety legislation is on the chopping block and people are becoming more vulnerable to issues such as stress, bullying and violence.' With an estimated 500,000 public sector workers set to lose their jobs, UNISON adds, insecure workers will be less likely to raise safety concerns and will be reluctant to take sick leave. 'The impact of this is that workplaces become both more dangerous and unhealthier,' the guides notes. With many UNISON workplaces now classified as 'low risk' and exempt from preventive, 'proactive' HSE inspections, workers are losing essential protection. 'Studies show that over 90 per cent of employers improve their health and safety policies either immediately before or after an inspection,' the union points out. It says UNISON reps should encourage members to keep on reporting and recording health and safety incidents. It adds they should raise concerns about the cuts to health and safety with their local MP and should tell their story through the local media, highlighting how the cuts are affecting people in particular workplaces.
