The following has been supplied by the TUC:
A claim by the prime minister that UK businesses are in a 'stranglehold' of health and safety 'red tape' and compensation claims has been dismissed as 'out of touch' by the TUC. David Cameron, speaking to a business audience on 5 January, said the government was 'waging war against the excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of British businesses.' Referring to measures to help businesses 'cope' with the 'health and safety monster', including cutting regulations, enforcement and exempting the self-employed from safety rules, he added: 'Every day they battle against a tide of risk assessment forms and face the fear of being sued for massive sums. The financial cost of this culture runs into the billions each year. So this coalition has a clear New Year's resolution: to kill off the health and safety culture for good. I want 2012 to go down in history not just as Olympics year or Diamond Jubilee year, but the year we get a lot of this pointless time-wasting out of the British economy and British life once and for all.' The TUC said the comments showed Downing Street was 'out of touch' and 'does not have a clue' about conditions in Britain's workplaces. Research has shown the cost of failing to ensure workplace health and safety standards massively outstrips any compliance costs.
