Recession not an excuse for safety cutbacks

摘要

Senior figures were keen to point out that, despite the challenging times, it is 'business as usual'. Lord McKenzie of Luton, the minister with responsibility for health and safety, told the audience: "The economic downturn does not mean that the statutory duty or moral obligation to protect workers and others from work activities has gone away - far from it.rn"The HSE and local-authority inspectors are not going to weaken their approach to inspection or enforcement," he added.rnLord McKenzie said providing companies with access to competent advice is even more important in a recession: "All of us here understand that scrimping on health and safety is false economy. If something goes wrong and an injury or fatality occurs, the financial and reputational consequences for a business can be severe.rn"Does an employer trying to manage their business through tough times really want to face litigation costs arising from an HSE prosecution and civil action by an injured worker, as well as the down time in preparing for court cases?