Small businesses are being urged to apply for Government grants of up to
£100,000 to help them become more proactive about occupational health and
safety.
The scheme is being run by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and funded
by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
It provides funding for workers’ safety advisers (WSAs), who can help
workers and employers identify and manage risks, draw up control measures, and
provide expert health and safety information and advice.
A total of £3m has been made available over the next three years for the
scheme, called the WSA Challenge Fund. Organisations or individuals can also
apply as partnerships.
Winners for this year’s funding will be announced on 9 June, with the money
being made available from July.
"Increasing worker involvement has been shown to improve health and
safety performance and is a key part of HSC’s new strategy, but six out of 10
workplaces have no form of employee involvement," said HSC chairman, Bill
Callaghan.
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"The WSA Challenge Fund is a great opportunity to deliver the strategy
and get resources into the hands of people who need it most – employers and
employees in small firms," he added.
