TUC expresses concerns over safety report

The TUC has welcomed the Löfstedt report's conclusion that the UK's health and safety laws 'are broadly right', but it has major concerns that the proposals to exempt some self-employed workers could have a devastating impact on their safety.

The comments follow the Government's announcement that it intends to begin a major cut back of health and safety regulation as early as January next year, based on recommendations that have come out of the Löfstedt Review into health and safety legislation. 

The TUC is also disappointed that the report makes no suggestions as to how the protection of employees in the workplace could be improved.

Commenting on the Government-commissioned report, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'Following last year's review by Lord Young, we've now seen yet another Government review into workplace safety that has concluded that the current system is generally fine.

'Unfortunately, like Lord Young, Professor Lofstedt was only asked to look at the 'burden' on business, not the burden that the failings in the current system have placed on the two million people whose health has been made worse because of their work. Nor has it considered the more than 20,000 people whose lives are cut short every year as a result of a preventable work-related injury or illness. Because of this, not one life will be saved as a result and not one injury or illness prevented. This is very much a missed opportunity.

'Instead the report proposes removing up to one million self-employed workers from the protection of current safety laws. These people, who often work in the most dangerous of jobs, are already much more likely to be killed or injured. There is little doubt that removing the self-employed from the regulations will increase their risk of illness and injury and lead to a rise in the number of bogus self-employed in sectors like construction."