As researchers on occupational health and safety, we note with concern the withdrawal by the UK Government of routine inspections in the majority of workplaces.
We are also concerned about the undermining of health and safety law enforcement by government. We further note that the Department of Work and Pensions web page on business and enterprise and regulation reform continues in 2013 to make the following statements on the subject:
l The Government asserts that the "burden of excessive health and safety rules and regulations on business has become too great". There is no substantial and rigorous evidence to support this statement.
l The Government further states that a "damaging compensation culture is stifling innovation and growth". There is no evidence at all that supports this statement with regard to occupational health and safety. Indeed influential studies in North America and elsewhere indicate that effective health and safety standards and controls can stimulate innovation and growth.
The Government will best protect people in workplaces by effective regulation and enforcement yet the decline in funding for regulators is happening at a time when the UK is still faced with enormous burdens of work-related ill health as well as major injuries due to failures in workplace safety measures.
Recently the Government has been taken to task for making false or inaccurate statements with regard to UK economic statistics. Similar lies and distortions are now emerging with regard to occupational health and safety and should be withdrawn. This is because nearly all occupational disease victims go uncompensated and, far from being a burden, properly enforced regulation is good for the workforce, good for the economy and favours the responsible businesses over the corner-cutting rogues.
Professor Andrew Watterson and seven colleagues,
Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group,
RG Bomont Building,
University of Stirling.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article