Be part of the solution Health and Safety Campaign

Be part of the solution in Oxfordshire and help reduce death and injury

Businesses and organisations representing over 100,000 Oxfordshire employees got together last summer to share ideas about how to improve health and safety in Oxfordshire's workplaces.  A conference held at the MINI Plant Oxford was attended by public and private sector CEOs who had been invited by health and safety officers from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Oxfordshire's five District Council Environmental Health services.

Those employers attending included household names such as Oxfam, Le Manoir restaurants, Rowse Honey and Thames Valley Police. They had all agreed to 'be part of the solution' by supporting the HSE's Strategy of the same title and also by signing up to the HSE Pledge.

By signing up to The Pledge employers commit to taking a common sense approach to health and safety, working with the regulators and other employers to share expertise and good practice as well as dispelling some of the myths we sometimes read about in the media.

The conference heard from speakers from the car and waste industries and from organisations which support a wide range of Oxfordshire employers. The Chair of the HSE, Judith Hackitt delivered a keynote speech on the importance of getting health and safety right by taking a proportionate and common sense approach to managing risk - the key theme of HSE's strategy.

'Be part of the solution in Oxfordshire' is a joint initiative by HSE and local Council health and safety inspectors to get businesses and organisations to play their part in reducing death and injury.

As a first step, employers are encouraged to sign up to HSE's Pledge, making a commitment to maintain standards even in difficult economic times and helping to debunk the myths which trivialize real health and safety. More than 1600 companies nationally have signed the Pledge since it was first introduced in 2009.

The conference also saw the launch of a new booklet containing advice and examples of good practice from Oxfordshire organisations who have been following the new Strategy. The booklet can be downloaded below:

 Be Part of  the Solution Delivery Plan Leaflet

Pledge signing organisations are listed on the HSE website.

To find out more about the Strategy visit the Strategy pages of the HSE website.

Signing is a voluntary indication of support and it is down to individual organisations to decide how they can contribute, but in signing the Pledge they do commit to take a common sense approach to health and safety.

Be part of the solution in Oxfordshire is co-ordinated by the Oxfordshire Health and Safety Liasion Group, which includes Oxford City Council, Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council, in partnership with HSE Field Operations Division.