Work sector looks at ways to reduce employee injuries
Homer Simpson has become the unlikely yellow face of a new health and safety at work programme by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), it has been revealed.
The bumbling cartoon character joins other Simpsons characters - groundskeeper Willie and Apu - in a poster campaign reminding employees that health and safety is important in the home as well as at work.
Pictured falling down the stairs, asleep in a safety talk, hunched over his desk and being burned in the eye by a flaming marshmallow, it is hoped that Homer's unluckiness will get others to think about how to avoid the common accidents that affect thousands of workers in real life.
Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA chief executive, commented on the unusual method: “Homer's approach to safety reminds us all of something about ourselves - that cutting corners can affect other people's lives as well as our own.
“Although Homer will never win a RoSPA Safety Award, he is there to get us talking about safety and, through his constant mishaps, offer some tongue-in-cheek insights. Any similarity with British workers (or indeed British dads) is purely coincidental.”
Joel Cohen, writer and associate producer of the comedy, said that the show outgrew its television screen status and became a cultural icon a long time ago. He commented: “I am happy that [the show] has found new value in such an important area as work safety. As a writer it's all about the paper cuts, but we all need to be safe.”
Injury lawyers warn bosses
If the Simpsons technique to reduce work accidents fails, then injury lawyers are hoping that a strong message forwarded by them will help.
Lawyers have stated that despite the overall number of workplace injuries dropping, construction jobs still present the highest risk for workers.
There were 53 deaths following incidents on construction and building sites, and according to the HSE, working at height on a roof or on scaffolding is still the biggest single cause of serious and fatal injuries.
A report by the Executive displayed that they inspected 1759 sites and 2145 contractors in March 2009. Of those sites inspected, 265 Prohibition Notices were issued on work at height. This demonstrates that there are still some contractors who are still not taking the dangers seriously.
In 11 of the 1,759 sites inspected, conditions were considered to be so poor that prosecution is now being considered.
Worryingly, the HSE also found that one in six sites were failing to address work at height risks, leaving workers vulnerable to serious injury or even death in the event of a fall.
Personal injury lawyer, Michael Jefferies noted that employers need to do more to protect their workers:
“Following amendments to the Health & Safety Offences Act 2008, it is obligatory to comply with health and safety regulations. Risk assessment in the workplace, understanding current legislation, obtaining the necessary equipment from a huge range of personal protective equipment (PPE) available and then providing adequate training as well can be a daunting task for an employer.
“However, it is the legal responsibility of an employer to provide a safe working environment and right equipment,” he stated.
Updated on 11/26/2009