Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, will join with senior representatives of trade unions in the construction sector and the Health and Safety Executive to commemorate Workers Memorial Day and highlight the need for world-class health and safety practice in Londonís construction sector.
The Mayor, in conjunction with Southern and Eastern Regional TUC, will host an event to mark Workersí Memorial Day at City Hall on Wednesday 28th April, from 1.30pm ñ 2.30pm.
The event at City Hall will hear a call for zero tolerance of preventable workplace injuries and deaths in Londonís hugely important construction industry. Central to this is the integral role that worker consultation must perform in improving health and safety for workplaces across all sectors of Londonís economy.
Supporting the event, Mick Connolly, Regional Secretary SERTUC said:
ìWorkers Memorial Day gives us a chance to highlight the preventable nature of so many injuries and fatalities at work that are often taken for granted or hidden away. It helps promote the highly effective role that trade unions play in reducing risks to worker safety and by promoting excellence in health and safety practice in our workplaces.
It is especially pleasing that this year both the Mayor of London and the HSE are joining us in our call for a greater role for worker safety reps, for more resources for HSE inspection and zero tolerance of preventable workplace injuries and deaths.î
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London said:
ìI totally endorse union calls for zero tolerance of preventable workplace injuries and deaths in the workplace. Londonís construction industry and transport projects are set to increase in future years and world-class employment practices and health and safety standards are necessary if London is to maintain a world-class workforce. I will continue to work with developers, the construction industry and trades unions to secure long term benefits for workers in the industry in terms of training, best employment practice and a safe working environmentî
And Murray Devine, London Regional Director at the Health and Safety Executive added:
ìThe people best placed to make workplaces safer from harm are workers and their managers; they do this best by working together. There is good research evidence linking trade union organisation and competent safety representatives to reduced accident/injury experience. I would welcome a future that saw every workplace in London with a competent representative on health and safety mattersî
Speakers on the day include:
Mick Connolly, Regional Secretary, SERTUC
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
George Brumwell, General Secretary UCATT
Jack Dromey, Deputy General Secretary TGWU
Margaret OíSullivan, daughter of Patrick OíSullivan a construction worker who died working on the Wembley Stadium project.
Murray Devine, Regional Director HSE London
Figures from HSE indicate that in 2002/03 there were 16 fatal injuries and 2,794 major injuries in London. Over half the fatalities and almost 40% of major injuries were in the construction sector.
Workers Memorial Day
Mayor of London joins trade unions and HSE to call for ìworld-class health and safetyî in Londonís construction industry.