Health and safety

Performance indicator

Number of RIDDOR incidents: 367

Current position

The QPA was the first trade association to sign up to the Health & Safety Commission’s Hard Target initiative and, as a result, has worked to achieve the targeted halving of RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) incidents from 2000 - 2005. In fact, the six largest QPA members exceeded that target, achieving a 73 per cent reduction in RIDDOR incidents. We believe that this is a remarkable achievement, delivered only through the commitment of each business to accept full responsibility for the well-being of its workforce and visitors. The official outcome of the HSE Hard Target for the surface extractive sector as a whole was a 52 per cent reduction in the period 2000 - 2005.

The combined effect of so many companies applying themselves to safety improvements has yielded a wealth of innovation from changes to the physical working environment to the development of a health and safety culture. Best practice is shared between members and non-members and the ongoing challenges are discussed at the QPA Health and Safety Committee.

The coverage of this indicator is the best of the suite and the data is also the most mature.

Aspirations

The ultimate aspiration of QPA members is zero incidents. The industry acknowledges that this is a particularly hard target but it regards it as its social responsibility to aim for nothing less. As a further step in this direction, the association has set a target for a further 50 per cent reduction in RIDDOR incidents between 2005 and 2009, based on the 2004 outcome. The baseline for this new target is the total of 367 RIDDOR incidents recorded by all QPA members in Britain in 2004.