Targets to reduce work-related death, sickness and injury, which cost the UK economy up to £18bn a y...
Targets to reduce work-related death, sickness and injury, which cost the UK economy up to £18bn a year, have been set by the Government and the Health & Safety Commission (HSC).
The targets include reducing the number of working days lost through work-related injury and ill health by 30% by 2010 and reducing the incidence of people suffering from work-related ill health by 20%. The Government aims to achieve half of these targeted reductions by 2004.
As part of the initiative, the two will work together with the insurance industry and look to provide incentives to reward companies that demonstrate good health and safety performance at the expense of those with poorer records.
Bill Callaghan, chairman at HSC, said: "I will be giving the Government every encouragement to introduce measures which crack down hard on offending employers."
Solicitor firm Trowers & Hamlins has issued a bulletin to employers with a checklist of how to avoid short and long-term workplace absence and litigation.
A spokesperson said: "The best defence an employer can adopt is to manage an employee's illness reasonably. We have put together some useful do's and don'ts to follow when confronted with either short or long-term illness."
For bulletin copies: 020 7423 8000
