The HSE regulating health and safety risks in the UK
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which reports to the Health and Safety Commission, is the UK government body that regulates health and safety risks.
Some of the industries focused on by HSE studies include agriculture; the armed forces; construction; diving; education; engineering; the leisure industry; food and drink; health services; mining; the police; public services; waste management; recycling and textiles.
The HSE was born after the terms of the Health and Safety at Work Act were agreed in 1974. As part of its work the HSE investigates industrial accidents, including construction accidents, and runs regular public health campaigns. Its stipulations are commonly cited in work accident claims.
Campaigns for better workplace health and safety In October 2006, the HSE launched the Better Backs campaign, using an imaginary popgroup called Backpain, to help tackle back pain problems.
The HSE is calling for all UK companies to be more responsible, to look after their workers better and to concentrate on serious safety risks rather than trivial matters.
In August 2006, HSE chairman Bill Callaghan said he was sick and tired of hearing that health and safety was stopping people doing enjoyable things while others were suffering real harm and fatalities as a result of work mismanagement: "There are some instances where health and safety is used as an excuse to justify unpopular decisions, like closing facilities."
The key principles of risk management were also laid out at the same time to enforce the message to industry and the general public that health and safety standards were necessary and must be adhered to.
This included ensuring workers and the public were properly protected; ensuring that the people who create risk managed it properly; and making everybody involved in the workplace - employers and employees - understand that as well as the right to protection, they had to behave in a responsible way.
Until the end of 2006, the HSE will be running a series of free, one-day workshops to help organisations across the UK understand work stress better and manage staff absence caused by sickness.
Read more about the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and access all their free leaflets and publications online at www.hse.gov.uk
Claiming for an industrial accident
Despite the fact that health and safety standards exist to protect employees in the workplace, work-related construction accidents continue to occur that could actually be prevented if standards were properly enforced.
Those who have been involved in a non-fault industrial accident are entitled to make a no win, no fee claim. Our panel of personal injury solicitors are experts in work-related cases and have an excellent success rate for personal injury claims. You won't have to pay costs or fees and all compensation will go directly to you.
Call us now on 0800 10 757 95 and we will explain how to make a construction accident claim, in plain English and with no legal jargon.
