Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Ratification: 1949)

The Committee notes the Government’s report and the copies of the numerous laws and regulations on occupational safety and health adopted during the period covered by the report.

1. Article 5(a) of the Convention. Cooperation between the labour inspection services and other services and institutions. The Committee notes with interest the information on the various agreements and protocols concluded between the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and other government departments and services with a view to improving the application of the Convention.

2. Article 5(b). Collaboration between the labour inspectorate and employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee also notes with interest that, in accordance with this provision, since early 2005, the HSE has developed collaboration with the social partners in the context of a new programme intended to improve the quality and quantity of worker involvement in health and safety risk management with a view to prevention. This collaboration gives effect to the commitments made by the HSE in its Collective Declaration on worker involvement of 2004, the text of which can be viewed on the web site: www.hse.
gov.uk/workers/involvement/involvement.pdf. The Government indicates that an early result has been the joint revision of web pages by the HSE and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on the site www.hse.gov.uk/workers, which provides workers with information and advice to help them become more involved in health and safety decision-making. The Committee hopes that, as announced by the Government, this collaboration will enable the partners to exchange information on the benefits of worker involvement for workers and employers alike and will encourage more workers to become workplace health and safety representatives.

3. Labour inspection and work by children and young persons. The Committee takes due note of the developments during the period covered by the Government’s report in this field of the activity of the labour inspectorate. It notes with interest the development of initiatives, including those on the Internet, and the production of video packs, and the activities of inspectors in schools and universities to increase awareness among young persons on occupational risks and their prevention. In particular, the Committee notes with satisfaction the initiatives taken with very young children in the context of the pilot project “Risk Watch Initiative”, which seeks to raise awareness among children of potential risks to health and security in everyday life so as to encourage greater understanding of occupational risks when they reach working age.