Manifesto Leaflet

The British Safety Council’s
priorities for government

The British Safety Council’s priorities for government

Our Manifesto

We are calling on politicians from Maintaining high standards
all parties to support our vision that
no-one should be injured or made The UK is world-leading in health, safety and
ill through their work. We want to wellbeing regulation. We want all parties
see a government that values the to commit to maintaining the highest
UK’s position as a world leader in standards of health, safety and wellbeing
health, safety and wellbeing in regulations and employee rights, ensuring
the workplace. We will work with that the UK continues to be a world leader in
the government and MPs from health, safety and wellbeing regulation and
across the political spectrum to enforcement. That is why we are asking for
ensure a legislative and regulatory an overarching commitment to standards, as
framework that keeps people safe well as for specific policies. The British Safety
and healthy at work. Council has been clear that Brexit must not
be used as an excuse to lower standards
whatever the outcome of the election and
the shape of future negotiations.

Our ask of government: maintain the
highest standards of health, safety and
wellbeing regulation and employee
rights, ensuring that the UK continues to
be a world leader in health, safety and
wellbeing regulation and enforcement.

Protecting outdoor workers Enhancing employee wellbeing

from air pollution The British Safety Council, with our sister
charity Mates in Mind, has welcomed
Through our campaign, Time to Breathe, the government’s proposals for a right
we are calling for employers, policy- to request workplace modifications on
makers and regulators to recognise the health grounds. We have also asked that
risk of ambient air pollution to the health there be clear guidance for employers
of outdoor workers. We want the Health and employees. But we think that the
and Safety Executive (HSE) to recognise government should go further. We
exposure to ambient air pollution as an recommend that other reasons should
occupational health issue. We also want be considered as the basis for the right
the UK to adopt, as a minimum standard, to request modifications: for example
World Health Organisation (WHO) conditions (such as the menopause)
exposure limits for particulate matter. which are not currently categorised
We need to ensure that we have better as ill-health, or caring responsibilities.
emissions data, so that we can tackle the
impact of air pollution across the UK. Our ask of government: to enhance
workers’ rights by enshrining in law the
Our ask of government: to legislate to right of employees to request workplace
improve air quality across the UK by: modifications on health and other
grounds. This will increase the likelihood
a. adopting a legally binding commitment that employees can stay in work and
to meet, as a minimum standard, WHO reduce the incidence of people leaving
guideline levels for particulate matter jobs because of ill-health or other reasons.
(PM) pollution by 2030;

b. working with the HSE to recognise
air pollution as an occupational
health hazard;

c. investing in pollution monitoring so that
ambient air pollution can be measured
as accurately as it is in London in all
regions of the UK.

The British Safety Council’s priorities for government

Scrap the sick-pay threshold Funding for health and safety

1.4 million women earn less than £118 a Protecting people at work and ensuring
week and cannot claim statutory sick pay everyone’s health and safety must be
when they are ill. We want the minimum properly resourced. Over the last ten
earning threshold to be scrapped. It is years, the HSE and local authorities have
estimated that pressure to attend work at faced very tough spending cuts. We
all costs is costing UK businesses over £77 believe that a steady funding stream
billion year. Working hours missed by the is essential to their ability to provide
average employee as a result of illness has proactive engagement with industry
fallen and more staff are attending work and to promote and support continual
while ill – this is termed as presenteeism. improvement in health, safety and
wellbeing standards.
Our ask of government: to abolish the
minimum earning threshold on sick pay. Our ask of government: to commit to
resourcing the HSE, local authorities and
Parity for mental health other regulatory bodies, with adequate
funding to ensure they proactively
With Mates in Mind we feel there should be promote health, safety and wellbeing
explicit duties on employers to safeguard in the workplace and ensure legislative
the mental health of their workers and to compliance as a minimum standard.
reduce the risk of exposure to work-related
stress. The HSE defines stress as “the
adverse reaction people have to excessive
pressure or other types of demand placed
on them”. An employer’s failure to manage
stress in the workplace could lead to
lasting damage to an employee’s physical
and mental health.

Our ask of government: to amend the
Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and
the Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations (1999) to explicitly place
duties on employers to reduce the risk of
exposure to work-related stress.

The British Safety Council’s priorities for government

Our asks

1 Keeping high standards 3 Workers’ rights

The next government will maintain the The next government will protect and
highest standards of health, safety and enhance workers’ rights by enshrining
wellbeing regulation and employee in law the right of employees to request
rights, ensuring that the UK continues to workplace modifications on health and
be a world leader in health, safety and other grounds. This will increase the
wellbeing regulation and enforcement. likelihood that employees can stay in
work and reduce the incidence of people
2 Air quality leaving jobs because of ill-health or other
reasons. The government to review the
The next government will legislate to target of one million disabled people
improve air quality across the UK by: in employment by 2027, with a view to
making it more ambitious.
• adopting a legally binding commitment
to meet, as a minimum standard, WHO 4 Sick pay
guideline levels for particulate matter
(PM) pollution by 2030; The next government will abolish the
minimum earning threshold on statutory
• working with the Health and Safety sick pay.
Executive to recognise air pollution as
an occupational health hazard; 5 Mental health at work

• investing in pollution monitoring so that The next government will amend the
ambient air pollution can be measured Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and
as accurately as it is in London in all the Management of Health and Safety at
regions of the UK. Work Regulations (1999) to include explicit
duties on employers to safeguard the
mental health of their workers and reduce
the risk of exposure to work-related stress.

6 Resourcing health and safety

The next government will commit to
resourcing the Health and Safety Executive,
local authorities and other regulatory
bodies with suitable funding to ensure they
proactively promote health, safety and
wellbeing in the workplace and ensure
compliance as a minimum standard.

No-one should be
injured or made ill
through their work.

British Safety Council MPO196

70 Chancellors Road
London W6 9RS
United Kingdom

T +44 (0)20 8741 1231
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