Concern over the safety of migrant workers

Norwich Union said it was concerned by figures published recently by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which revealed that out of 59 workers who died in the construction industry last year, five were migrant Polish workers.

As a result, the insurer has launched a special 'migrant workers' section on its RiskManager website, to help businesses understand and tackle the issues - see link above/right.

Phil Grace, Norwich Union's casualty risk manager, said: "The employment of foreign workers is not something to be undertaken without full consideration of the possible additional risks involved. Migrant workers are at an automatic disadvantage because of language and cultural barriers.

"Foreign workers employed in the UK enjoy the same protection as UK workers and have the same rights and responsibilities. So, risk assessments and the resulting actions must take the different languages and cultures of these new workers into account."

Language barrier

Mr Grace warned that foreign workers with a limited command of English may not fully understand safety briefings or training. Language training should be considered essential, he said, especially if the employment was expected to be permanent.

Likewise, the services of an interpreter may need to be made available to facilitate conversations between employers and migrant employees.

"Written material, such as risk assessments, operating instructions and working procedures should be translated into the appropriate languages," he told us.

"The HSE and TUC have both prepared material in a number of foreign languages. However, consideration should be given to creating bespoke documentation for a particular task or industry sector."

Finally he warned that although many warning signs were universal in their meaning, some carried additional text, such as electrical equipment showing a "next inspection date". "Ideally, there should be signs written in workers' native languages," he said.

Exploitation fears

The TUC said this week that it was "particularly concerned" about the way that some migrant workers were being exploited in the UK.

In a statement for its annual congress, the union organisation said: "By exploitation we mean outright illegality (pay levels below the minimum wage, unlawful deductions, withholding of passports and so on); immoral treatment (low wages, long hours, sub-standard accommodation, misleading promises, abusive management), and comparative exploitation (lower wages or worse conditions than their fellow workers).

"Some migrant workers are well-paid or decently treated, but many are not, and it is these workers who we believe need protection."

The TUC said that although some indigenous workers also suffered as a result similar exploitation, several factors made migrant workers more vulnerable - such as a lack of knowledge about their rights and lack of the means to enforce them.