Firms ‘must improve worker involvement’

Non-unionised employers should enhance worker involvement in order to improve safety, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). The campaign group made the call after conducting research for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which showed that worker involvement in safety in non-unionised workplaces was low on most employers’ agenda.

The research, carried out in Scotland, also found that employers were unwilling to invest money and resources in the issue, and that any worker involvement that does exist tends to be employer-led and confined to practical consultation rather than anything approaching joint decision making.

The research followed evidence that organisations with properly involved unionised safety representatives achieve better health and safety performance than those without.

Head of RoSPA Scotland Karen McDonnell said: “Involvement can take time, skill and patience but it pays massive dividends in firms both large and small. And it really can save lives and reduce injuries.”

The report, Worker involvement in health and safety: what works? can be found at www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/currentcampaigns/wish/.