SMEs warned on health & safety

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain should make an effort to maintain the highest of standards when it comes to health and safety, in spite of the harsh economic conditions that have caused them to become less of a priority.

This is according to research carried out by the Trades Union Congress, which claims that the stagnant economy has led to a reduction in health and safety inspections and an increase in stress and heavy workloads.

Just under half of the safety representatives who took part in the study indicated that their organisation had never been visited by an inspector while one in ten claimed they hadn't been inspected in more than three years.

Furthermore, the top safety concerns cited by participants included stress levels and a high workload, directly resulting from difficult trading conditions.

Brendan Barber, general secretary for the TUC, said: "Fears about how austerity is affecting people's jobs and their families is having a real impact on the health and well-being of UK workers."