Safety inspectors to check worker involvement

Worker involvement will be a high priority for safety inspectors in the food industry. The move has been welcomed by USDAW shopworkers’ union.

The HSE’s food and agriculture sector has listed the priority topics inspectors will be focusing on when they visit factories in 2009/10. It said the number one topic will be overall management of health and safety, including evidence of director/board level leadership and good worker involvement.

USDAW said the worker involvement issue means that, “HSE inspectors should be talking to health and safety reps when they visit your factory to check that there is a good working relationship between management and the reps and that reps are being consulted on health and safety matters.”