Incentive schemes improve health and safety

British companies could significantly cut the number of workplace accidents and illnesses if they are given incentives to invest in risk prevention by their governments, a major health and safety body has said.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has carried out research that shows incentive schemes already offered to businesses in some EU countries have proven popular and successful.

The schemes have offered companies benefits including lower insurance premiums, state subsidies and grants, tax relief, and preferential bank loan terms in exchange for stepping up their workplace safety measures.

EU-OSHA Director Jukka Takala, said, "Our economic incentives project has already encouraged different EU Member States to learn from each other, and exchange good practice in designing incentive schemes.

"All in all, the report shows that economic incentives can be effective in all Member States, regardless of wide differences in terms of their social security and accident insurance systems."

A scheme set up for the German butchery industry in 2002 resulted in a 28 per cent drop in the number of reportable accidents in the ensuing six years for companies who had enrolled in the incentive scheme, compared to a 16 per cent drop in the sector as a whole. This resulted in around 1,000 fewer accidents each year throughout the companies involved.