Select committee report vindicates unions

Union concerns about the role of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) have been vindicated by a House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee report, published in July.

The report said the number of safety inspectors should be doubled, safety reps' rights dramatically improved and a corporate crime bill introduced this year.

The committee also said the government should rethink its decision not to impose safety duties on company directors - and was critical of the HSC's new strategy, published earlier this year, which goes further down the road towards a voluntary, deregulated safety regime.

Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB general union, said the report "shines a harsh but fair light on the HSC's current way of working - all woolly targets and management waffle, a jumble of complacency and convenience which is threatening the safety of Britain's workforce".

"Far too many employers do not take their health and safety responsibilities seriously," said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber. "The Government must do what the Select Committee is recommending and give employees better protection at work by introducing new laws on corporate killing and tougher penalties for bosses that commit safety crimes against their workforce."

The report, The work of the Health and Safety Commission and Executive, can be downloaded from www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmworpen.htm