RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

February 2, 2006
AGREEMENT TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL WORKPLACE SAFETY

The newly-formed Safety Groups UK is to sign a groundbreaking agreement with the Health and Safety Executive as part if its campaign to become increasingly influential in the health and safety world.

Safety Groups UK has been formed out of the National Health and Safety Groups Council, a body representing around 80 community-based groups which give advice to small and medium sized businesses in their area.

The new organisation was launched by David Eves, former Deputy Director General of HSE, in London on January 26.

The partnership agreement with the HSE is designed to support the Health and Safety Commission’s strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond.

The aim is to jointly develop and deliver a work programme to make a significant contribution to specific projects which underpin the HSC strategy. Both sides want to ensure key health and safety messages are promoted to all health and safety groups and as widely as possible beyond their immediate membership.

HSE is funding a consultant to carry out research to help achieve these aims.

Kerry Ross, chairman of Safety Groups UK, said: “Our mission is to ensure that health and safety groups are key players in the UK health and safety system and in the delivery of UK health and safety strategy

“We are ideally placed to do this, being made up of representatives from local businesses and providing low-cost health and safety help through such things as seminars and advice lines.

“The partnership agreement will increase our ability to reach out to small businesses in local communities and create safer places to work.

“We will be helping groups to focus on HSE priorities such as slips, trips and falls, falls from height, workplace transport, stress and musculoskeletal disorders. Safety Groups UK is also leading a special project on occupational skin disease called ‘Derm at Work’.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents supports Safety Groups UK, provides its secretariat and hosts its website www.safetygroupsuk.org.uk .