Workers' Safety Advisers projects get green light

The government has today (Wednesday) given the go-ahead for 12 Workers' Safety Advisers (WSA) nation-wide projects worth £3m following a successful series of pilot schemes.

The Department for Work and Pensions has awarded each of the three-year projects between £33,000 and £100,000 as part of the Workers' Safety Adviser Challenge Fund - a grant scheme designed to increase worker involvement and consultation.

WSAs will be expected to promote partnership working between workers and employers to identify and manage risks together and provide an expert source of health and safety information.

Pilot schemes run in 2002 revealed that nearly 73% of employers involved in the projects felt that awareness of health and safety matters had increased.

The winners of the grants are:

* British Glass 
* Coalfields Regeneration Trust
* Community Ventures
* Enworks
* Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
* GMB
* Health@Work
* HealthWorks in London
* Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
* Park Royal Partnership
* Sheffield Occupational Health Advisery Service
* UCATT
 
Announcing the winners Andrew Smith, secretary of state for work and pensions, said: "Through today's awards we hope to see 40 influential partners and 28 worker safety advisers reach out to about 35,000 workers to give them ownership in measurable and sustained changes in their organisations' culture and behaviour."

Andrew Large, FMB director of external affairs, said: "I believe it [WSA] offers a fantastic opportunity for FMB members to develop a true partnership on health and safety with their workforce, which will benefit employers, workers and client alike."