One in 12 workers feeling under pressure to take risks
A NEW survey from the British Safety Council (BSC) claims one in 10 workers are fearful of raising concerns about health and safety issues in the current economic climate, and one in 12 feel under pressure from their boss to take risks with safety in order to save money.
The survey also shows that while the majority of workers (70%) feel more inclined to be productive in an environment where their employer is attentive to their health, safety and well-being, only just over half of bosses (59%) now think that a proactive approach to health and safety enhances the bottom line, compared to 72% in 2007.
Brian Nimick, chief executive of the BSC, said: ‘No one should have to work in a situation where they fear for their safety because of unsafe practices. There needs to be a clearly defined ‘safe to work’ covenant between workers and bosses if we are to make the workplace in the UK and elsewhere as safe as possible.
‘Even in the current challenging financial climate facing industry, now is not the time to make health and safety costs a casualty of cutbacks.’
However, despite these concerns, the survey does show a noticeable improvement in workers’ perceptions of their own safety since opinion was first measured in 2007. The proportion that feels ‘very safe’ has increased significantly from 57% to 71%, while the proportion that ‘does not feel safe’ has dropped from 7% to 4%.
Overall, 96% of employees now feel safe at work, with 98% of bosses believing their workplace to be safe.
The full report can be viewed online or downloaded from the British Safety Council website.
