NEWS RELEASE
STUC WANTS MORE EFFORT TO REDUCE WORK RELATED DEATHS The STUC has called on the Government to supply increased resources to combat our failure to make any real impact into the Health and Safety Executives revitalising strategy.
In addition the STUC wants more effort to "identify" hidden fatalities and major accidents that impact on the right of workers to lead prolonged and healthy working lives.
Ian Tasker, STUC Assistant Secretary for health and safety said:
"This year, 2004, is the first reporting year of the revitalising strategy and we are concerned that despite the efforts of trade union health and safety representatives it is unlikely that we will be able meet the targets put forward by the Government.
"However the New Year is an appropriate time to remember the hundreds of workers who lose their lives through occupational disease and road traffic accidents.
"We continue to lose many workers who have retired or had to retire through occupational disease and we want to see increased resources for research into diseases such as mesothelioma and pneumonoconiosis to investigate the quality of life that can be expected by improved palliative care.
"The STUC also wants to see increased effort to reduce Scotland's work related road accident rate. It is extremely difficult to accurately assess the extent of this problem but we believe that, as a result of our geography, climate and shorter daylight hours in winter, it is safe to assume that our record is unlikely to be any better than the rest of the UK.
"We want the Government to increase HSE resources to allow Inspectors to investigate these accidents and, through the DWP, for funds to be made available for improvements into research into caring for victims of occupational disease."