The new academic study was carried out by Dr Iain Cameron, Dr Billy Hare and Dr Roy Duff, from Glasgow Caledonian University, who analysed data from 101 contractors in the construction industry collectively employing over 200,000 workers. The research also found that in organisations where health and safety personnel vet sub-contractors, there’s almost a 60 per cent lower accident rate than in those that don’t.
Launching the research today at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Ray Hurst, IOSH president elect, said: "Although this is the first such UK study, these results support the case that health and safety is good for people and good for business. Skimping on safety has a very negative human impact indeed. It’s time to act now to get proper health and safety investment and training across all employment sectors in the UK.
"Currently, the health and safety profession is not legally regulated, meaning that almost anyone can call themselves a health and safety expert, without any qualifications or experience. IOSH, the Chartered body for health and safety, is calling for UK-wide legal minimums for all those practising as health and safety professionals."
Dr Billy Hare, senior research fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University who was part of the team that conducted the study, added: "What we found particularly staggering was that, on average, the more qualified in health and safety the line manager in an organisation is, the less the accident rate. This shows that investing in health and safety training does have an impact, benefiting employees, and helping to boost productivity by reducing the considerable disruption caused by an incident causing death or injury."
Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary, commented: "In Glasgow nine people died and 33 were injured in the Stockline factory explosion. Among the charges against the company was the failure to seek competent advice. This tragedy, together with the many other tragic workplace incidents, bring into sharp focus the priority that employers must give to health and safety in the workplace.
"HSE research has revealed that trade union organised workplaces are safer workplaces. This new Glasgow Caledonian University research, sponsored by IOSH, now adds to the picture in confirming that organisations with line managers more highly qualified in health and safety have lower accident rates, benefiting employees and their families.
"The STUC supports the IOSH call for regulation of the profession to ensure quality. We must have properly qualified and accredited health and safety professionals at the highest levels within organisations, working with health and safety reps, if we are to avoid future tragedies."
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