With informed estimates suggesting that 246,000 workplace injuries went un-recorded or incorrectly reported last year, is now really the right time to cut ‘red tape’ designed to prevent accidents at work?

Is it fair for No Win, No Fee solicitors such as Claims Direct to be the only safety net for workers who have suffered injuries at work through no fault of their own?

And why should managers gain bonuses through covering up incidences of accidents at work?

With the new coalition government inviting suggestions as to how Britain can reduce its debt arrears, big business interests have not been slow to call for a reduction in the amount of red tape and regulations associated with the modern workplace.

Hard-fought-for health and safety legislation (dubbed ‘elf ‘n safety by critics) could be threatened by this new cost-cutting mindset.

So are we really about to enter an era where it becomes acceptable for workers to suffer illnesses and injuries through no fault of their own while fulfilling their working obligations?

The TUC is battling to avoid this scenario. In September it published a report called The Case for Health and Safety which should have made sobering reading for those that don’t think Health and Safety spending should be ring-fenced.

Every year, the report stated, 20,000 people in the UK are killed prematurely through their work. Imagine the entire population of the Orkney Islands and the statistic might seem a little more real.

It is clearly unacceptable that so many people should die through conditions such as occupational cancers and lung disorders like Asbestosis, exposure to fumes and chemicals, and fatal traffic accidents – all as a result of working conditions.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Every one of the 20,000 annual workplace-related deaths could have been prevented and if the level of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authority funding is cut it will lead to an increase in accidents, injuries and deaths.”

The HSE believes that every year 246,000 workplace injuries ‘slipped through the net’ last year by not being reported or being incorrectly reported.

An article in the Guardian on 4th October 2010 speculated that, scandalously, some people might profit from this mis-reporting. The article reported that the rail union Unite had suggested that under-reported staff accident incidents had allowed Network Rail directors to pocket £2.36m in bonuses as their pay is linked to health and safety league tables.

Network Rail has responded by calling for an independent review to investigate the possibility of under-reporting.

What is beyond dispute is the fact that last year there were three worker fatalities, 85 major injuries and 100 other worker-safety incidents on Network Rail’s watch; statistics which show the importance of worker safety.

And if worker safety is at risk then could passenger safety also be threatened?

No wonder TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber says: “Despite the way that health and safety is often pilloried, for those who are made ill or injured at work and for the relatives of those who have died as a result of their work, health and safety is no joke.”

Author Bio: Claims Direct are a No Win No Fee Solicitors. We specialise in personal injury claims involving road accidents, as well as accidents at work and medical negligence

Category: Legal
Keywords: No Win No Fee Solicitors, Accident at work, Claims Direct