The
Engineering Employers Federation claims a proposed EU health and safety ruling
will cost manufacturing jobs.
Members
of the European Parliament and Council of Ministers are set to vote on the new
directive which the EEF claims will cost British business as much as £21bn.
The
directive aims to prevent conditions such as vibration white finger and whole
body vibration but the EEF says the proposed limits of 1.15m/s2 will cause too
much of a disruption to the working day.
Gary
Booton, head of health and safety at the EEF, said the limit was less than the
body is exposed to while walking:
"There
is no question about the benefits of effective health and safety management for
all concerned. Employees, business and the EU all benefit from managing health
and safety risk. However, nobody benefits if laws are made which invent
problems while the real issues go unresolved, " he said.
"We
are urging MEPs and the ministers to see sense and set limits which give
employees realistic protection without imposing draconian and unrealistic
targets for business."
The
directive could affect the work of millions of people around the country
including lorry drivers, sales reps, fork-lift truck drivers, farmers, postmen
and construction workers
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