IOSH Urges Government to Ensure Health and Safety at Workplaces
IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) has issued its new manifesto in which it has listed health and safety challenges for the government and other bodies. Taking up these challenges would help make the UK a healthier and safer place to work in, IOSH says.
The manifesto was launched in the House of Lords, and is titled, ‘Creating a healthier UK plc’. Rob Strange OBE, who is the chief executive at IOSH, remarked that the manifesto should serve as a call for action. He added that the manifesto puts into words what they believe are the prerequisites of a safer and healthier UK.
The manifesto recognises four key challenges, which need to be addressed by the government and other agencies. The first one asks for better health through better work. The second challenge demands creation of a risk intelligent society. The third asks for help to smaller firms in risk management. The fourth asks for helping people get the best possible health and safety advice.
Strange stressed on the need to make the younger generation more aware of good health and safety practices and insisted on health and safety awareness being included in the school and college curriculum. He said that the government should look to decrease the rate of mishaps at British workplaces, which accounted for 229 deaths last year and injuries numbering almost 300,000. He also said that more than two million workers in the UK blamed their work for their illnesses and therefore the government needs to take the manifesto seriously and do the needful to make UK workplaces healthier and safer.
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