03 February 2010
Lucie Ponting

The manufacturers’ organisation EEF is using evidence from its latest annual health and safety survey to call on HSE board members to resist calls for new positive legal duties on directors at their meeting later this month.

The EEF claims the results — showing that the number of boards setting and monitoring targets for health and safety has risen by more than 50% over the last four years — prove that the voluntary approach is working and any change in the law is unnecessary and could be counter productive.

Feedback from 380 EEF members surveyed during autumn 2009 found that four in five say their boards now discuss health and safety as a regular item, compared with 58% in 2006 and nearly three-quarters say (73%) boards set and monitor targets for health and safety, compared with 53% four years ago.

Nine in 10 respondents say they now identify the health and safety responsibilities of senior managers in their health and safety policies; in 2006, just over three-quarters did this.

“Our survey confirms that there has been a sea change in director involvement – active leadership is now very definitely the norm, not the exception,” said Steve Pointer EEF head of health and safety policy.

“Recent legal changes, insurance considerations and a campaign by HSE and other organisations have all played a part in that improvement. With the effect of those legal changes still feeding through the system, it makes no sense to introduce a new law now.

"We urge HSE to stick with the current approach and are keen to continue lending our active support.”

HSW supports the case for new statutory duties on directors, which we believe will encourage senior executives to give safety a higher priority along with their financial responsibilities, raise the profile of safety practitioners and improve workplace standards.

This belief was voiced by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Work and Pensions in its 2008 report on the work of the HSE, and in Rita Donaghy's government-funded inquiry into deaths on construction sites.

To find out more about the case for directors’ statutory health and safety duties, or to sign our joint HSW/HSB “Duty Bound” campaign petition, see here.

Categories:
Directors' duties, HSE, News

Related articles:




Share this page

Printer-friendly version