From the CEO’s Desk
It seems incredible that 2014 is now drawing to a close. This has been my first year in the job at the Federation and it has been very constructive but it has also gone incredibly quickly.
2014 marks 20 years of the BSIF and the HSE final statistics published at the end of October illustrates that the UK remains one of the safest places in the world to work. BSIF members continue to play their part in that success and remain dedicated to delivering an even safer and healthier future.
The Federation members are those businesses at the forefront of keeping people safe and healthy at work.
As successful as we are in safety the HSE statistics confirm that we still have a long way to go in conquering long term latency diseases. I am sure that we are all familiar with the figure of 13,000 deaths being attributed to work related illness. Much of the focus for improvement in this area is in respiratory protection with the HSE supporting the Construction Dust Partnership Initiative where the threat of work related silicosis has a very high profile. The HSE has also launched an Asbestos Awareness Campaign aimed at micro businesses and self-employed tradespeople who will come into contact with asbestos inadvertently. BSIF fully supports both campaigns but continues to point out that much of the target for this message will be the self-employed whom the Government through the draft Deregulation Bill are seeking to remove from the protective cloak of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
We have consistently sought to ensure that Westminster clearly understands that good safety and health is good for business and we maintain that effort. The very good news is that BSIF has successfully tabled an Early Day Motion in The House of Commons sponsored by Jim Sheridan MP drawing the attention to the benefits of using Registered Safety Suppliers and also the need for increased Health and Safety Executive inspections.
BSIF remains committed to representing a dynamic and well respected health and safety industry and Federation members remain devoted to promoting best practices in occupational health and safety to ensure that all workers get home safety at the end of the day.
I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.
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