Don’t let mixed messages put workers’ lives at risk – Safety Council
12th May 2020

The British Safety Council has responded to the reopening of industry with a call for clearer guidance and a demand that no worker should be forced back to their workplace until it has been made safe.

Chief executive Mike Robinson said: “anxious workers are going to be piling back on to public transport without any clear rules and guidance, instead of a phased plan allowing managers to understand and interpret guidance. We are working to help our members and customers to carry out proper risk assessments, but the confusing messages from government are not helping anyone.

“It is reckless to urge people back to work before clear guidance has been published and before employers have put in place plans to make workplaces safe.”

The organisation says it is providing support to employers with workers on the front line, including healthcare workers and essential workers in retail, manufacturing and construction. As well as providing direct support through the lockdown, the British Safety Council is developing new services to help organisations adapt as lock down restrictions are eased.

Robinson continued: “I know that most people are keen to get back to work and back to some normality, but if we follow this chaotic approach, we risk undermining all the hard work achieved through the lockdown. In a national emergency there is a strong instinct to give the government the benefit of the doubt – but they need to sort this mess out. When the guidance is published it must put the safety of workers front and centre and end the current confusion.”