TUC health and safety manifesto

The new TUC publication Health and safety, Time for change: A trade union manifesto for reclaiming health and safety at work sets out that inspections save lives and that there is a clear link between inspections and safety levels: as inspections go down, injuries go up.

In addition, it says that it is not true that inspections are a “burden”: almost 90% of employers who are visited by the HSE say it is a positive experience.

And it says that the idea that workplaces like offices and shops are low risk is a myth. Many of these areas have very high levels of sickness caused by work:

• postal workers are far more likely to suffer from a back injury because of the loads they have to carry;

• supermarkets have high levels of back pain amongst checkout staff, and injuries from slips;

• shop workers face high levels of violence; and

• workers in education suffer high levels of stress, as do many other public sector workers including many who work in health and social care.

The manifesto calls for more inspections of all businesses and for no business to be exempt from unannounced inspections. It can can be found on the TUC website at: www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/531/TUC_Health_and_Safety_Manifesto_Time_for_Change.pdf