Bill Callaghan, the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, this week urged firms to publish health and safety records in their annual reports.
He made the call at the launch of a draft code on health and safety designed to put pressure on directors to take these responsibilities more seriously.

He said: "I would like to see organisations publishing their health and safety record in their annual report and I will be taking steps to ask Britain's major enterprises to ensure they do so." The code also calls for boards to appoint one member who will make it his or her job to champion health and safety within the firm. In addition, the code urges firms to consult more fully with staff over health and safety.

Industry representatives also met the HSC this week to discuss strategies outlined in the government's safety document Revitalising Health and Safety.

  • A scaffolder, Peter Hay, 57, died last Friday when a gable wall collapsed at a primary school in Newcastle upon Tyne. He was working for Edinburgh-based Northern Steeplejacks. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating.