13 December 2004 - HSE and TUC Produce New Safety Information in 21 Languages
The guidance includes the following:
- Safety rights at work
- Safety level of training required to be given by employers
- Who should migrant workers complain to if they consider themselves to be compromised by incorrect or poor health and safety work practices.
This year, there have been a number of fatalities within the migrant area of workers who are employed within the UK. Therefore, in order to eliminate these fatalities and accidents for those workers with a limited grasp of the English language, the new publication is produced in the following languages: Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Greek, Gujarati, Lithuanian, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Welsh, as well as English.
Frances O'Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary commented:
"Workplace deaths in the UK are on the increase and there's a danger that we could soon start to see more fatalities and serious injuries at work as language barriers mean safety messages are going over workers' heads.
"Thorough, but easy-to-understand training is vital if workers are to stay healthy and safe at work. Unions are doing all they can to help foreign workers grasp the basics of English and now employers can use this information to make sure the safety message is being understood loudly and clearly".
Mr. Bill Callaghan, Chair of Health and Safety Executive said:
"We are pleased to be working in partnership with the TUC in getting the message across to all workers about their basic rights and responsibilities, irrespective of language differences".
Basic language courses in a learning centre at the bottom of Canary Wharf Tower has been set up by union learning representatives from construction union UCATT, in a bid to improve basic English skills to migrant workers within the U.K. who are mainly from Eastern Europe. It is hoped this basic course will improve safety awareness within the migrant worker sector.
The new published information can be accessed by clicking the following: Your health, your safety: A guide for workers
Article by Alexandra Johnston
