Safety Groups UK

 

Welcome to Safety Groups UK

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The mission of SGUK is

'To promote health and safety by supporting a thriving national network of health and safety Groups'

The organisation, which is a registered charity (was originally established in 1947) is the coordinating body for the network of around 73 local voluntary Occupational Health and Safety Groups located throughout the UK.

Purpose

Local Safety Groups, supported by their 'umbrella' organisation, Safety Groups UK (SGUK), exist to promote awareness and knowledge about work-related health and safety risks and how to manage them. They do this by bringing a wide range of people together to hear important messages and to share experiences, concerns and solutions.

Safety Groups, dating back in some cases to the 1920s and '30s, are an established part of the UK health and safety system. Although their core membership includes health and safety professionals and specialists, their distinctive role is to support and educate non-specialists who have health and safety responsibilities as part of their wider remits, such as directors and partners of small firms, general managers, HR managers, contractors and suppliers. In this way, safety groups and SGUK contribute to the cause of reducing the toll of deaths and life-changing injuries and illnesses due to work activities.

Although the UK is a world leader in workplace health and safety, our society nevertheless loses £13 billion (3% of our GDP) and 27 million working days each year from needless and preventable occupational injury and disease. Over a million people suffer from work-related illness and thousands die from past exposures to hazardous substances. Within the workplace every year around 150 workers are killed and many thousands sustain severe injuries, while over 500 more die on our roads in the course of their work and over 13,000 deaths occur for Occupational related diseases with many more suffering from ill-health.

We are committed to raising awareness of workplace health and safety issues through:

  • Recognising best practices with awards
  • Promoting Group membership at H&S exhibitions
  • Helping Groups
  • Partnerships with other H&S organisations to promote initiatives
  • Working with sponsors to reach out to small firms and help change behaviour

SGUK holds up to three open meetings annually, including its annual awards ceremony in January. It may also organise special seminars and events on its key topics.