Keeping the workplace safe is good for business, fact – but just because that’s a no brainer doesn’t mean it should be the sole motivation for firms, the TUC has said.

TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said he attended a recent meeting on health issues where a government official said it was important to argue the business case for safety. “In other words, we should show employers that it’s beneficial if their workers don’t get injured,” Robertson said. “There were lots of nodding heads in the room. But this kind of thinking really worries me.” He said agencies including the regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), have been pushing this business case. “Now I’m all in favour of using evidence of the benefits of health and safety to promote it, and of sharing good practice, but we seem to be putting too many of our eggs in one basket. By not emphasising the legal requirements, we’re in danger of getting into the situation where employers only feel that they have to do something if it is beneficial for them to do so.” He said too many employers see their workers as ‘disposable’.

He noted: “Employers have already worked out that there is no ‘business case’ to treat them with decency and keep them healthy. That is why these are the people who are more likely to be injured or killed at work, or to get musculoskeletal disorders and occupational cancers. Market forces make them more expendable.” The union safety expert argues that with preventive safety inspections and an “all-time low, it’s hardly surprising that the government and the regulators are going to try to focus more on trying to get employers to do the right thing through trying to appeal to their wallets.” He concludes workers do not want the decision on whether to protect their health to be based on whether it is in an employer’s economic interest. “All workers should be afforded the same basic rights to a safe and healthy workplace. That is best done by strong regulation, strong enforcement and strong unions.”