The joint EEF-HSE delivery plan for Manufacturing was announced at today’s launch of HSE’s new strategy for health and safety in Great Britain. EEF joined other business organisations in signing a pledge at the launch to encourage employers to take a common sense approach to health and safety and to make sure it is at the heart of what they do.
Commenting, Steve Pointer, Head of Health and Safety Policy at EEF said
"The new strategy will be welcomed by manufacturers as genuinely strategic in nature and with a clear sense of direction identified. However its success depends upon coordinated delivery by HSE and a wide range of other organisations. That is why we felt it important to agree a delivery plan at an early stage. We very much hope that others will follow our lead, producing delivery plans to help turn the strategy into reality."
"Our team of health and safety experts and trainers throughout the country will help to deliver the new strategy in partnership with HSE. The plan focuses upon two key areas: firstly supporting and motivating good leadership in companies and, secondly, targeting musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and repetitive strain injuries, the most common cause of work-related ill health."
Steve added there were encouraging signs that most employers now see health and safety as an integral part of their business.
"We have been working with HSE over a number of years to promote good practice in health and safety throughout manufacturing which is now producing genuine results. Our annual health and safety survey shows a huge improvement over the last few years with
directors in over 80% of companies now actively involved in managing health and safety. In addition, in the last three years there has been a 40% rise in the number of company boards who monitor health and safety management as part of their Key Performance Indicators."
HSE and EEF signed a ground-breaking partnership agreement to promote effective health and safety management across manufacturing industries in February 2006. It was the first of its kind between HSE and a business organisation and allows manufacturers to receive the latest information and guidance from the regulator, as well as offering opportunities to feedback issues, concerns and examples of good practice.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation is the representative voice of manufacturing in the UK. EEF has a growing membership of almost 6,000 companies of all sizes, employing some 900,000 people from every sector of engineering, manufacturing, engineering construction and technology-based industries.
EEF has one of the largest networks of fully qualified health and safety advisers and trainers throughout England and Wales and is uniquely placed to support manufacturing businesses in managing the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees.
EEF’s support includes:
Expert advice and guidance by fully qualified advisers
Health and safety auditing, risk assessment and consultancy
A wide range of training courses, seminars and events
Advice on absence management, including an award-winning toolkit
Occupational health surveillance and support
Wording for HSE Pledge
We, the undersigned:
Agree to play our part in reducing the numbers of work-related deaths, injuries and ill-health in Great Britain.
Call on employers to put health and safety at the heart of what they do and to take a common sense approach to health and safety.
Commit to debunking myths around health and safety that trivialise the impact of injuries, ill health and deaths on individuals and their families.
Recognise the importance of health and safety in difficult economic times and the dangers of complacency.
Pledge to work with the Health and Safety Executive and its partners to Be Part of the Solution.