IOSH’s campaign to have health and safety made part of the national education curriculum will receive a boost in the form of a Private Member’s Bill to be read in Parliament today.
Under the Ten-Minute Rule procedure, George Howarth MP (Knowsley North and Sefton East) will introduce the Health and Safety (Education and Training) Bill, which calls for health and safety elements to be embedded throughout Britain’s education system.
The new Bill focuses on every level of the workforce, from work experience, apprenticeships and diplomas, through to professional courses, such as teacher training and MBAs. It aims to drive up young people’s health and safety skills to prevent accidents happening in the first place — protecting their well-being and supporting productivity.
Said Mr Howarth: “This Bill focuses on what I believe is the most effective tool in improving safety and health skills: education and training. I see all of this as part of an overall learning process, beginning in childhood and continuing through further and higher education and on throughout working life. We know that inexperience leads to an increased risk of workplace injury and sadly, over the last decade, 64 of those killed at work were under 19 years old, 15,000 in this age group suffered major injuries and a further 50,000 were hurt.
“Consequently, it’s vital that we look to incorporate health and safety awareness into education before our young people begin work-based learning or start work, and that we provide adequate supervision and induction training, so that fewer lives are avoidably damaged.”
IOSH has long campaigned on the issue of putting young workers first, with one of its major contributions being the development, with the Health and Safety Executive, of the Workplace Hazard Awareness Course (WHAC). The course is freely available to teachers and trainers and is aimed at year 10 pupils and older. Around 2000 registrations have been received so far, and the course is now being rolled out nationally in schools and colleges.
Commented Institution president, Ray Hurst: “Health and safety is good for people and it’s good for business. Tragic accidents are much more likely to happen when people are ill prepared for employment through a lack of health and safety education, awareness and training.
“Skimping on safety has a very negative human impact indeed. It’s imperative that everyone is well equipped for the world of work, from young people on work experience to older people returning back. We fully support George Howarth MP in his efforts to embed relevant health and safety in our education system, as mandatory parts of national, vocational and professional curricula.”
Building on new foundations that should be laid in schools, IOSH is calling for the education system to deliver relevant health and safety elements for vocational and professional curricula, such as for architects, planners, designers, engineers, managers, doctors and teachers.
