“Work With Us to Reduce Workplace Death Toll” CTU Says To Employers

“The death toll in our workplaces can be dramatically reduced if employers co-operation with unions on the implementation of new health and safety law,” Council of Trade Union president Ross Wilson said today.

“The CTU is calling for employer co-operation with the development of effective employee participation systems in workplaces when the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act comes into effect tomorrow,” he said

“Worker participation, more than any of the other changes in the law, has the potential to really make a difference to our appalling workplace accident and fatality statistics.”

Ross Wilson said the CTU was ready to make “worker participation” in workplace health and safety a reality by organising the election and training of up to 10,000 health and safety representatives within the next 12 months.

“The political debate on the Bill has focussed on increased maximum fines and stress and fatigue,” he said.

“But recently publicised cases in companies such as Junken Nissho demonstrate that nothing will change unless we get down to applied injury prevention and health protection strategies in the workplace.”

Ross Wilson said international research showed that structured, union-supported, participation by workers in health and safety can result in real improvements.

“Good health and safety practice is good business and we are calling on business to dump the rhetoric about compliance costs and make this law work,” he said.

“The real compliance cost, for both workers and employers, is if they do nothing.”

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