February: A new era of responsibility
February 8th 2009 The Voluntary Code For Directors’ Duties has come under fire this month with UCATT launching a scathing attack on its progress and labelling the code “a complete failure.”
The Construction Union expressed disappointment in 2007 when the Health and Safety Executive, along with the Institute of Directors published a new voluntary code for directors, instead of lobbying for the statutory duties that it has been campaigning for.
UCATT believes if companies were obliged to nominate a director responsible for health and safety who, if there was a death as a result of serious health and safety breaches, could be prosecuted and even given a custodial sentence, construction, among others industries, would become “safer almost overnight.”
While it is easy to sympathise with UCATT’s view, especially given the construction sector’s notoriously poor health and safety record, it is interesting to consider it in the light of EEF’s completely opposing view on the issue.
The manufacturing body is urging the Government to resist pressure for new health and safety laws for directors as it says its own survey shows directors are starting to take a leading role.
What is most salient about EEF’s argument is that it suggests adding specific requirements to any statutory duties – such as the appointment of a single director to be charged with managing health and safety – could actually be counter-productive because: “it would send a message that fellow directors could forget all about health and safety.”
We have gained much ground recently in reducing accident rates by involoving workers in health and safety at every level of the business. From the boardroom to the shopfloor, benefits of effectively engaging the whole workforce cited in HSE case studies include: improved levels of health and safety competence; 50% reductions in accident rates and gaining increased levels of trust.
Launching the consultation for HSE’s new proposed Strategy The Health and Safety of Great Britain: Be part of the solution, Judith Hackitt promised, “the promotion of joint training for safety reps and managers to build shared perspectives on health and safety,” will be an important new goal for the HSE going forward.
So it could be argued that anything focusing on sole responsibilities is in reality a step backwards. If we are truly, as Obama has hoped, entering a new “era of responsibility,” then surely the onus must lie on us all playing our part.
Georgina Bisby
Editor
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