SAFETY AT WORK

Early day motion 270, tabled 18 June 2013 by Steve Rotheram (Labour). Signed by 41 members.

That this House congratulates the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians and Unite trade unions for holding a joint lobby of Parliament titled Save Our Safety on 11 June 2013 to expose the Conservative-led Government's attacks on health and safety laws; believes that the Prime Minister's statement that he is waging a war against the excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of British business is totally shortsighted, out of touch and disrespectful to the 49 construction workers killed in accidents at work in 2011-12; calls for a reversal of the abolition of the Construction (Head Protection) Regulations, noting that the average number of construction deaths from head injury fell from 48 to 14 a year after the introduction of these regulations in 1989; further calls for the scrapping of the Tower Crane Regulations in April 2013 to be reversed; is alarmed that the 35 per cent cut in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) budget by 2015 has resulted in the closure of the HSE infoline and the shelving of the Hidden Killer campaign which warned workers of the dangers of asbestos; and warns that fresh attacks on safety announced as part of the Budget in March 2013, where the Government confirmed a further round of the Red Tape Challenge which has previously been used to attack safety legislation, has the potential of resulting in the death and injury of more workers.

Signatures by party: Labour 34, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Alliance 1, DUP 1, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Respect 1.