The Chief Executives of British Safety Council, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have written jointly to the Secretary of State for Business about workers’ rights, the environment and health and safety in the workplace.
Between them, the bodies represent thousands of organisations and tens of thousands of individuals working to prevent accidents, to ensure workplaces are safe and to maintain high standards of environmental and occupational health.
The letter calls on Kwasi Kwarteng to meet to discuss issues arising from the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), reached between the UK and the EU, and to seek assurances that the Government’s plans will enhance and protect workers’ rights.
It is essential for a worker to go home safe and healthy at the end of a working day, hence securing health, safety and wellbeing at work is paramount in any regulatory reform.
Ensuring the UK maintains the highest standards of health, safety and environmental protection is vital to the wellbeing of the national workforce on which our economic success depends.
Mike Robinson, the British Safety Council’s Chief Executive, said: “Workplace health, safety and environmental management is essential to protecting workers, whose rights should not be reduced below the levels provided while the UK was a member of the EU. Any new regulatory freedoms should be used to ensure workplaces continue to be as safe or safer still.”
Errol Taylor, RoSPA Chief Executive, said: “Good health and safety is proven to be good for business. It’s vital that the Government protects and enhances workers’ rights to ensure a productive and efficient Britain, especially in the face of the pandemic. And not least, we all have a moral duty to ensure employees go home safe and well to their families at the end of
every working day.”
Dr. Phil James , CIEH Chief Executive, added: “Now that the UK has left the EU, it is essential that the UK Government commits to maintaining the health and safety standards for workers across our country and is ambitious in their efforts to improve workplace environments. We look forward to working with Government to ensure that this opportunity to build a greener and safer country is not lost.”