British Safety Council warns against health and safety cutbacks

11:37:00 Friday 9th January 2009

Leading personal injury claims lawyers and the British Safety Council (BSC) have warned companies against cutting back on health and safety spending during the current economic slow-down.

“There is a danger with the credit crunch that firms will cut back on health and safety planning and implementation, leading to an increase in personal injuries at work,” says a QC. There are fears that the number of personal injury claims could increase if firms begin cutting costs and failing to fulfil their health and safety obligations.

The Health and Safety Executive says the total cost to business from personal injury payouts is currently £7.8 billion and this could rise due to cutbacks.

The BSC’s chief executive, says that ensuring workers’ safety is of utmost importance, “businesses need to recognise the consequences of not investing the resources necessary to prevent needless deaths and harm.” The BSC says that the number of deaths and injuries at work could rise if companies try to reduce spending on controlling risk to workplace health and safety, and businesses could severely damage their reputations as employers as a result.

Contact us for a free, no obligation discussion about your compensation claim:

body calculator

Find out how much compensation you may be entitled to:

Claims Standard Council