Industry bodies call for election focus on safety issues

Key safety sector organisations the Association for Project Safety (APS) and British Safety Council (BSC) have launched their manifestos ahead of the general election, calling for a future Government to invest in and support health and safety.

Noting that the UK lost an estimated 32.5 million days to work-related ill-health and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2022/2023, BSC’s Chairman, Peter McGettrick commented on the party’s manifestos published last week, saying:

“The lack of focus given to people’s health, safety, and wellbeing in the main manifestos for this General Election is disappointing, especially given the challenges facing both the country and people in work.

BSC’s own manifesto calls for the creation of a dedicated Minister for Wellbeing, to lead on a National Wellbeing Strategy. They said investment should go towards supporting new and developing technologies (e.g. VR and AI) and tax credits for spending on health and safety training.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which has experienced budget cuts amounting to 43% and staff cuts of 35% over the last decade, should be supported with adequate funding, say the BSC. This funding, they said, should also extend to local authorities with statutory duties for safety regulation.

Andrew Leslie, CEO of APS, similarly identified key calls to a future Government. Their ‘Five Asks’ are:

1.     Allocate funds and resources to training centres, and enforce output targets

2.     Fast-track visas for skilled immigrants with ‘provable’ skills in the construction sector

3.     Partner with industry leaders and educational institutions to design and implement effective programmes to develop skilled construction workers

4.     Implement rigorous environmental impact assessments for all new construction projects to better protect the environment

5.     Allocate funding and incentivise homeowners and businesses to retrofit their properties.

The Association added that it “urges the next UK Government to prioritise the development of a skilled workforce through improved domestic training programmes and selective immigration (visa) incentives”.

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