Everyone in Britain has a right to be safe at work. That is the message from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) − Britain’s safety at work regulator.

As part of a new programme of activity to help keep migrant workers safe, workers from oversees are being encouraged to call a dedicated number to report any concerns or if they need advice on safety in the workplace.

Outreach workers in a number of English regions will support the initiative with advice about the standards of health and safety they should expect from their employers, and about the help HSE can offer.

The phone line - 0151 951 4444 - allows workers to call anonymously and talk to a trained adviser in their language. HSE also provides information on its website www.hse.gov.uk/migrantworkers/chinese.

HSE is reaching out to people from overseas because they can be particularly vulnerable, often working in higher risk industries such as construction, food processing or recycling, or are doing temporary work where arrangements for health and safety management are sometimes not as clear as they should be.

There is also evidence that workers newly arrived in the UK may be at particular risk because they are doing unfamiliar work, following different procedures or using equipment which is different from that at home.

A review of serious accidents to overseas workers in the construction industry showed that eight out of the 16 fatal accidents between 2005 and 2008 happened in the first 10 days on site − half of them on the very first day. Only two of those who died had been in the UK a year or more.
Workers should contact the HSE if:

* They believe managers or workers are breaking safety rules to get the job done quickly.
* There are health and safety rules and procedures that are not being followed.
* They are concerned that they, or work colleagues, are being asked to do something which they consider to be unsafe.
* Safety equipment and protective clothing is inadequate, not provided at all, or workers have to pay for it.
* New employees are not provided with a health and safety briefing in a language they can understand.

Employers have a duty to those they employ regardless of their immigration, residency or right to work status.

Said Jeremy Bevan, HSE Policy Adviser on migrant worker health and safety,

“In Britain being safe at work is a right not a privilege. The Health and Safety Executive’s role is to help reduce death and injury in the workplace.

“We can provide support to employers to ensure compliance with the law – but will take enforcement action where necessary to protect the health and safety of their workers.

“We encourage those workers who are concerned that they do not have the right equipment or training for the job they are doing, or have other concerns about health and safety at their workplace, to contact us. They can do this in their own language and do not even have to leave their name.”

The support available from HSE will also be promoted via radio, publications and websites listened to, read and visited by overseas communities - to help raise awareness of workers’ rights and where they can get information on health and safety.

CASE STUDY

A worker from Lithuania was worried that she would be dismissed because she had been involved in an accident at the Lancashire bakery where she was working. However, her fears were unfounded, as under British law, the major responsibility for health and safety lies with the company rather than the worker.

Miss T was with two colleagues working on a machine which puts the tops on meat pies when the machine became blocked, and was stopped while she cleared it. Miss T noticed that it had become contaminated with meat and reached through a safety guard to clean it but, unaware that Miss T had put her hand into the machine, her colleague started it before Miss T could take her hand out. She was taken to hospital, where she had to have surgery on her fingers

All three members of the team had been trained in their own language in how to use the machine safely, including not reaching through safety guards, and the machine had safety labels in Lithuanian. However, the HSE inspector concluded that though there were safety measures, the company could have done more to protect her, and it was ordered to take action to put things right.