It has been recently found that the US paper industry has not fulfilled the safety requirements for workers. The problem has been identified after a study by United Steelworkers (USW).

USW found that the USA employers are careless about health and safety of their employees, and they have been paying monetary rewards to workers if the number of reported accidents goes down. While this may seem a way to encourage the workers to take care of themselves, it actually distorts the picture by encouraging workers to not report accidents that take place.

Tony Burke, Unite the Union Assistant General Secretary, has expressed great concern regarding this trend and has stated that there is a need to stop this practice. Further, it has been found that employers in the US do not properly instruct employees regarding safety procedures and they do not have union safety committees, which they are required to have.

It seems that the same problem may exist in the UK as well. This is because many players in the USA paper industry also operate in the UK. Thus, it is quite likely that the same employers have failed to maintain safety in their operations in the UK. Jon Geenen, USW Vice-President, said that it is important to ensure that the companies know they are being watched.

As a result, Workers Uniting, a worldwide organisation of workers which is a joint venture between USW and Unite the Union, has decided to carry out another study in the UK to see whether the companies are following all the health and safety regulations.

This is one of the first studies to be spread over the continents and is probably the largest in size and scope. The organisation intends to follow up the study by a campaign to improve the safety and security of workers in the paper industry.

Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions to employees with regard to health and safety issues. Contact the experts at Workplace Law Training to find out about their range of accredited IOSH Directing Safely courses, which can assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper health and safety procedures for all kinds of workplace situations.

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