Article in The Independent: Thanks to Cameron, more men like this will die

[Wildcat]

Johann Hari, who often writes interesting pieces has written this article on FACK. The example of Mark Wright who died at work burnt to death because his employer's negligence illustrates the dangers of complacency with H&S.

 

We know what prevents events like this, and what saves men like Mark. The evidence is plain, and overwhelming. Dr Courtney Davis at the University of Sussex produced the most detailed study. She found that where you have rigorous, unannounced health and safety inspections, the number of accidents and deaths falls by 22 per cent over the next three years.

 

But David Cameron has decided to do precisely the opposite. He is cutting the budget for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by 35 per cent, and it has been announced that from now on entire sectors of British industry – including some where the HSE admits the dangers are "significant" – will never get an unannounced knock on the door again. There will be no more proactive inspections of agriculture, quarrying, manufacturing, or paper mills, where there is a long history of people being crushed, and even the most high-risk areas will be checked much less.

 

Why are they doing this? The article articulates it.....

 

it's a way of shifting the cost – from the wealthy businesses who fund David Cameron's election campaigns, to individuals like us. He's now adopting the George W Bush model of silent deregulation: keep the laws on the books, but stop anybody from enforcing them – to please your paymasters, and feed your own ideological opposition to regulation.

 

The article concludes:

 

Remember the story of Mark Wright. You'll be hearing more like it, and soon.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-thanks-to-cameron-more-men-like-this-will-die-2275035.html

 

Never vote Tory. They don't care about workers, only themselves.

[mj.scuba]

The accident happened in 2005, under the tenure of Labour, 8 years after they came into power.

 

The paper says Cameron is cutting the HSE budget, meaning some industry sectors will not get random HSE inspections. The article does not say if the HSE were carrying out random inspections in 2005, but since The Independant and the OP are criticising cutting them back, we can only assume the HSE were carrying out random inspections in 2005 (unless of course random HSE inspections were introduced after 2005 and after this Mark Wright accident).

 

My point is, if random HSE inspections were in place in 2005, they didn't prevent the death of Mark Wright. If random inspections prevent accidents, why did Mark Wright die?

[Wildcat]

The accident happened in 2005, under the tenure of Labour, 8 years after they came into power.

 

The paper says Cameron is cutting the HSE budget, meaning some industry sectors will not get random HSE inspections. The article does not say if the HSE were carrying out random inspections in 2005, but since The Independant and the OP are criticising cutting them back, we can only assume the HSE were carrying out random inspections in 2005 (unless of course random HSE inspections were introduced after 2005 and after this Mark Wright accident).

 

My point is, if random HSE inspections were in place in 2005, they didn't prevent the death of Mark Wright. If random inspections prevent accidents, why did Mark Wright die?

 

Perhaps you didn't read the OP?

 

We know what prevents events like this, and what saves men like Mark. The evidence is plain, and overwhelming. Dr Courtney Davis at the University of Sussex produced the most detailed study. She found that where you have rigorous, unannounced health and safety inspections, the number of accidents and deaths falls by 22 per cent over the next three years.

 

and in relation to the second part, from the article:

 

Mark was a 37-year-old man with two young children who worked all his life, in whatever jobs he could find, no matter how tough. By 2005, he was working in a scrapyard near Chester run by a company called Deeside Metal Company Ltd, clearing through your detritus and mine. But the job was making him anxious. He had to take eight weeks off work with severe breathing difficulties, which he suspected came from inhaling toxic fumes. Then one day, a car that was due to be crushed burst into flames, and he only just dodged the explosion.

 

A week later, he was ordered to pour 3,500 small air freshener canisters into a mechanical crusher. He was told they were empty – simply because the haulier who handed them over, unmarked and undocumented, had said so. The managing director, Andrew Graham, later said at the inquest – according to those present – that he didn't carry out the written risk assessments required by law because he regarded his staff as "illiterate".

 

In fact, the canisters weren't empty. They were full of highly combustible propellant. So when Mark put them into the crusher, a massive fireball erupted – and he inhaled burning gases that set fire to 90 per cent of his body. Mark's mother, Dorothy, says she is haunted by "the vision of my son engulfed in flames, the most terrifying and painful of deaths imaginable". His young daughter still sleeps cuddling his T-shirt in her bed every night.

 

The 'if, then' is about probabilities. Nothing is 100% safe. Just because closing your eyes and crossing the road won't necessarily involve you being killed... it is an unacceptable risk.

 

The cost of inspections is less than the costs to the tax payer of not having them both in terms of financial costs and in terms of peoples lives. It is negligent to cut inspections when we know more inspections will save money and lives.

[Tony]

Wildcat, this thread is an utter disgrace.

 

This is the second time you have pulled this especially distasteful stunt and again you have lowered your belly to the gutter to score cheap political points on a topic that you know nothing about beyond the garbage filled union press release that you have vomited onto the screen.

 

Go hang your head in shame

[mj.scuba]

We know what prevents events like this, and what saves men like Mark. The evidence is plain, and overwhelming. Dr Courtney Davis at the University of Sussex produced the most detailed study. She found that where you have rigorous, unannounced health and safety inspections, the number of accidents and deaths falls by 22 per cent over the next three years.

 

So were random HSE inspections in place in 2005 or not? It does not say. If they were in place in 2005, then the claim that it "prevents events like this" is false, since existing HSE procedures and inspection regimes in 2005 did not prevent the death of Mark Wright.

[eastbank]

Perhaps you didn't read the OP?

 

 

 

and in relation to the second part, from the article:

 

 

 

The 'if, then' is about probabilities. Nothing is 100% safe. Just because closing your eyes and crossing the road won't necessarily involve you being killed... it is an unacceptable risk.

 

The cost of inspections is less than the costs to the tax payer of not having them both in terms of financial costs and in terms of peoples lives. It is negligent to cut inspections when we know more inspections will save money and lives.

 

about time we got rid of all this health and safety rubbish...can remember working in steelworks all those years ago...and workers were dying every day because they did not have a stupid yellow vest on.....and the brickies falling to their deaths in thousands because they didnt scaffold them in when building a six foot wall....get rid of the h and s....exectatives...

[eastbank]

Wildcat, this thread is an utter disgrace.

 

This is the second time you have pulled this especially distasteful stunt and again you have lowered your belly to the gutter to score cheap political points on a topic that you know nothing about beyond the garbage filled union press release that you have vomited onto the screen.

 

Go hang your head in shame

 

 

old wildcat...needs to get out more....come and enjoy the cheap beer and free food on friday....thanks to wills and katie...

[andikay]

Johann Hari, who often writes interesting pieces has written this article on FACK. The example of Mark Wright who died at work burnt to death because his employer's negligence illustrates the dangers of complacency with H&S.

 

 

 

Why are they doing this? The article articulates it.....

 

 

 

The article concludes:

 

 

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-thanks-to-cameron-more-men-like-this-will-die-2275035.html

 

Never vote Tory. They don't care about workers, only themselves.

 

I would think they are cutting the HSE budget because Labour spent all the money and there isn't enough left to pay for things like this.

[Darth Vader]

 

 

Why are they doing this?

 

 

Anyone with any sense knows the answer to that.

 

I wonder if Tesco will be getting the contract for the new workhouses.

[Mecky]

Wildcat, this thread is an utter disgrace.

 

This is the second time you have pulled this especially distasteful stunt and again you have lowered your belly to the gutter to score cheap political points on a topic that you know nothing about beyond the garbage filled union press release that you have vomited onto the screen.

 

Go hang your head in shame

 

Why's that then, because you don't like it?