USDAW slams retail self-regulation

Government proposals for self-regulation in the retail sector are "misguided", according to USDAW shopworkers' union.

Under a "retail enforcement pilot" scheme being piloted by the Department of Trade and Industry in Warwickshire and Bexley, local authorities' health and safety officers are expected to reduce inspections and visits to top companies while targeting only those businesses with a bad safety record.

"The idea that the retail sector is divided into a majority of good employers who manage health and safety well and a few rogue businesses that need to be the target for enforcement is misguided and flies in the face of the evidence," said USDAW health and safety officer Doug Russell. "It is clear that health and safety is not being dealt with properly in many stores where the management are well-intentioned and think that they are complying with their duties. We need more resources to be given to inspection and enforcement."

Russell cited recent cases where supermarkets have been fined for health and safety breaches. Tesco was ordered to pay £50,000 after a "culture of carelessness" led to a worker losing a finger at its Norwich store. Sainsbury's was fined £10,000 after a Cheshire bakery manager slipped on water and suffered serious neck and back injuries. And Asda had to pay £22,000 after a worker was buried under a mound of chilled chicken and another suffered an electric shock while cleaning display cabinets with a damp cloth.