These days everything seems to have a National Awareness Day from Bramley Apples to Butterflies, so it’s good to see an area as important as Health and Safety is getting its very own awareness week starting 16th June.
The week-long campaign aims to celebrate the UK’s 85% reduction in fatal accidents since the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974 and reinstate a positive image for this exceptionally worthwhile profession which often labours under criticism from government and the media for excessive red tape.
It will be launched at the Safety & Health Expo 2014 on Tuesday 17th June by Judith Hackitt CBE, Chair, Health and Safety Executive and is backed by the UK’s key health and safety bodies including the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), the British Safety Council (BSC), the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF), the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH), the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM), the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and Safety Groups UK (SGUK).
“It’s a shame that the ‘Health and Safety Gone Mad’ headlines can detract from the fact that thousands of lives have been saved over the past 40 years through the work of health and safety professionals,” said Lisa Robinson, SG World Communications Manager. “The UK has an excellent track record in health and safety and we’re glad to see it celebrated in June. Of course the principals promoted during the week need to be adopted week in and week out and the best way for providers to help companies is to give them solutions that integrate health and safety into daily routines. This is a core principle of our range of pre-inspection safety solutions; they easily fit into daily processes making safe working a daily habit not a chore.”