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Accidents at work 'should lead to lessons learnt'

27 January 2011

Incidents and accidents that take place at work should be assessed in order to determine whether lessons can be learnt from them.

This is the claim made by an expert from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), who said this happens too rarely and little is done to respond to "near misses".

According to the organization's Occupational Safety Adviser, Roger Bibbings, it becomes more important than ever to take such action "when times are tough" and policies should reflect "robust" management in this area.

Mr Bibbings pointed out many accidents that take place are easily preventable, adding: "In the workplace, health and safety culture is a good thing, saving lives, preventing injuries and helping to cut costs and promoting efficiency."

His remarks come after a poll of more than 500 businesses discovered 59 per cent of respondents believe current legislation is "about right".

However, one in three (34 per cent) of those questioned for the research by legal firm Norton Rose revealed they believe health and safety laws are too onerous.