Workplace Report May 2007

Health & safety news

Driving deaths petition

The Preston & District Workers’ Memorial Day Committee and the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre are petitioning the government to tackle the number of work-related road deaths – one of the UK’s hidden occupational killers.

Every week on average, 20 people are killed in work-related road crashes. Employers often contribute to these deaths by excluding driving from their health and safety arrangements, setting unreasonable targets, failing to meet their legal duties to assess and mitigate the risks, and placing responsibility on individual drivers.

The petition – which calls for the enforcement of employers’ current statutory duties to be improved and for all injuries and deaths from work-related traffic incidents to be made reportable – can be signed at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/petitionforkaren/