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Health and safety issues highlighted by new TUC report
At least 20,000 people die in the workplace each year and this needs to be remedied by safer working practices, according to a new report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The organisation concluded that this figure is equivalent to the entire population of the Orkney Islands as a conservative estimate, underlining the extent to which the health and wellbeing of workers is being put at risk.
In the report, the TUC explained that most people die early as a result of their work through issues such as lung disorders, occupational cancers, exposure to fumes and chemicals and fatal traffic accidents.
Underlining the need for the Health and Safety Executive, Brendan Barber, the general secretary of the TUC, said: "Regulation works, as long as it is enforced, and it saves lives and prevents the contraction of unnecessary illnesses. That is why the UK continues to need strong regulation and enforcement."
This week, the TUC branded the coalition government's programme of cuts as "far more radical and dangerous" than any since the 1930s.
Posted by Michael Ewing
