UK slips down safety league
14/02/05
Existing concern at proposed changes in health and safety policy in the UK has been heightened by a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that shows Britain dropping to 19th out of 21 developed nations in the 'Work Security Index'.
This measure takes into account input, process and outcome to give a score for the protection of workers. The UK comes out worse on process, 77th out of 95, because of low government spending on injury compensation; but even on outcome, where it is better placed, 10 Western European countries do better.
The British trend towards self regulation and voluntarism which has been the subject of recent criticism by a House of Commons Select Committee only encourages 'opportunism, inertia and self-exploitation' according to one of the co-authors of the ILO report, Dr. Ellen Rosskam.
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