Health and Safety Commissioner Dr Mike McKiernan told delegates that the
HSC’s occupational health strategy will have clear targets to record ill-health
among workers and the general public.
"It will help people who have been made ill through work to get back to
work and will improve opportunities for people who are currently out of work to
get back into employment," he said.
It will dovetail the Government’s changes to health and safety due to be
published this month, which is also expected to set clear targets. (See News,
p5)
Previously unpublished research carried out by OH advisers which reviews
provision in small- and medium-sized enterprises will be published alongside
the HSC strategy.
"Fatal accidents in the UK are a quarter of what they were when the
Health and Safety at Work Act came into being 25 years ago. Britain has one of
the best health and safety records in the world," said McKiernan.
"But we cannot be complacent. Our performance is not good enough even
now and that applies to health as opposed to pure safety."
