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Employers putting workers’ safety at risk to cut overhead spending have sparked calls for tighter legislation on electrical safety in the workplace.
A survey carried out by the British Safety Council (BSC) revealed that one in 12 workers feels under pressure from management to take risks with people’s safety in order to save money, with 10 per cent of workers admitting they are fearful of raising health and safety concerns in the current economic climate.
But lawyer Gordon McBean, partner at on-line legal advisory service www.personalinjuryscotland.co.uk, says more stringent legislation would give employers clearer guidelines and could reduce the number of accidents caused.
He said: “Businesses feeling the strain of the recession should not let safety issues fall by the wayside and accidents caused by electrical issues can be easily avoided by taking simple steps.
“The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 explain that employers must ensure all electrical work equipment is safe and properly maintained. Often the most effective way to do this – and to avoid penalties or even a one month prison sentence – is to have regular reports of portable appliance testing and inspections.
“Some employers wrongly think that because there is no specific legislation that implicitly details workplace PAT testing, that there won’t be serious legal implications or even void insurance claims in some cases should an accident occur.”
Around 1,000 electrical accidents at work are reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) each year and it is reported that 25 people die from injuries. | 