RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

September 28 , 2005
SAFETY CHALLENGE TO SCOTLAND’S TOP BUSINESSES

Scottish businesses and organisations with excellent health and safety records are being urged to join forces to help other companies cut deaths and injuries in the workplace.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is launching its Scottish High Performers Challenge at a lunch in Glasgow tomorrow (Thursday, Sept 29).

About 40 people are killed and 14,000 seriously injured in workplace accidents in Scotland each year. More than 200,000 people suffer ill-health conditions caused or made worse by work and 2.6 million working days are lost. The annual cost to the Scottish economy is £80-£140 million.

It is hoped that if organisations leading the way in health and safety reach out to other businesses and offer encouragement and expert help then the figures will be reduced.

Karen McDonnell, RoSPA Occupational Training Manager for Scotland, said: “There are massive human, social and business benefits to be gained by raising standards of health and safety management in Scotland. Organisations which themselves have achieved higher standards of performance in health and safety have a duty to motivate and assist others to do likewise.

“The idea already has support from some of the big names in Scotland, but now we need more to come forward to take up the challenge.”

Those signing up will agree common approaches and themes on how to reach out to other businesses. Other suggestions include: acting as good neighbours on health and safety issues, and providing access to small firms to their in-house training schemes and information services; ensuring that all their contractors and suppliers are competent to manage the health and safety of their own employees and those affected by their operations; and supporting safety and health education in schools, and for trainees and young people, including those involved in work experience schemes.

Supporters of the challenge include: Aberdeen College, British Energy Hunterston 'B', Devro (Scotland) Ltd, Dunfermline Building Society, EKC Dupont, ESS, FMC Energy Systems, John Dewar & Sons Ltd, Motherwell College, Mowlem, National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd, Renfrewshire Council, the Scottish Executive, Scottish Water Solutions and UKAEA.

The launch will take place during the second day of the RoSPA Scotland Safety and Health at Work Congress, sponsored by National Semiconductor, at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel. Information about the challenge can be found at www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/scottish/ or by contacting Karen McDonnell on 0131 449 9378. The initiative is designed to feed into and support the new HSE Partnership on Health and Safety in Scotland.