Directors responsibilities

[Malcb17]

NOV 2007

Boardrooms must be compelled to take workplace health and safety seriously, a new union-backed report has concluded. 'Bringing justice to the boardroom', prepared for construction union UCATT by the Centre for Corporate Accountability, says there has been a 'complete failure' of the voluntary approach to reducing injuries and fatalities in the workplace. The report accuses the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of deliberately distorted its own research to downplay the case for binding directors' duties. It says a large number of lives could be saved every year if statutory legal health and safety duties for directors were adopted. Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: 'This damning report demonstrates the government's failure to introduce statutory legal duties forcing directors to take responsibility for their companies' health and safety policies, is literally costing workers their lives.' According to the report, HSE's research reveals that since voluntary guidance on directors' duties was introduced in 2001 only 44 per cent of companies have designated an individual director with responsibility for safety. It says despite this HSE has claimed 79 per cent of companies have such a director. The UCATT/CCA report says in reality this figure only applies to a few very large companies, those with over 4,000 employees. The report says when a company does take positive action at director level on health and safety, major improvements are achieved - on average this leads to a 25 per cent reduction in accidents, the report says. Michael Clapham MP, chair of the all party occupational safety and health group, welcomed the report. He said: 'This report should be required reading for all those who argued against the need to make directors directly liable for a company's health and safety failures. It is essential that parliament have the opportunity to revisit this matter at the earliest possible opportunity.'

do you think that the corporate manslaughter Act brought in April 2008 will make a difference?

[JinaAlbert]

Health and safety is a human first and the foremost preference.Every worker wants his life to be safe and secure while fulfilling his duties obediently and sincerely for a company.It is a company responsibility to provide healthy and safety requirements to an individual worker of the company.This will ensure their lives to be secured and make the work place more improved and better.
The Director is the captain of the ship he has to fulfill his responsibilities to his loyal and obedient employees ready and always much willing to shed their blood and sweat for the company.The Director is liable to provide the workers all the necessary health and safety environment for the workers so that they can be saved from the fatal and hazardous incidents in work place.It will make them feel secured and their working capabilities will increased.