The following has been supplied by the TUC:
A new law the government says will protect ‘good Samaritans and community heroes’ could be just another ‘sinister’ attack on workers suffering occupational injuries and diseases, the TUC has warned.
Announcing the planned law, which is due to take effect next year and which the government says is necessary “to tackle the growth of compensation culture”, justice secretary Chris Grayling said: “I don’t want us to be a society where people feel that they can’t do the right thing for fear of breaking regulations or becoming liable if something goes wrong. I don’t want us to be a society where a responsible employer gets the blame for someone doing something stupid. I want a society where common sense is the order of the day, and I believe this measure will help us get there.”
But TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson, commenting on the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Bill (SARAH) which was included in the Queen’s Speech on 4 June, countered: “Of course this is complete gobbledygook. There is not a shred of evidence that there is a problem. The police, fire and ambulance unions have worked closely with their employers and the HSE to develop guidance which ensures that health and safety protection is compatible with emergency situations, which is why the government changed its mind about exempting the police from the Health and Safety at Work Act (the one mention of health and safety in the Coalition agreement). There are no cases of anyone being prosecuted for trying to save someone in an emergency situation.”
He warned: “There is however the possibility that this Bill will have a much more sinister application, which is shifting the blame to workers when they are injured, with employers claiming the worker was acting ‘irresponsibly’. If that is the case, this is not a Heroism Bill, it is a Blame Bill.”
