Andy Cook is absolutely right to say employers should take more responsibility for workplace risks, and that prevention is better than cure (1 August, Insurance Times).
Research from MORI, published earlier this year, found that only one in six business leaders surveyed said improving safety in the working environment is on the corporate agenda - clear evidence of the negligence culture which forces injured people into the trauma of litigation.
The notion that the insurance industry has been naïve enough not to identify looming problems with industrial diseases is risible. The dangers of asbestos-related diseases, at least, have been well documented for decades.
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has consistently highlighted the link between insurance and safety at work. It is an issue which should be taken seriously. Hackneyed references to a "compensation crazy culture" are not only distracting, but also deeply offensive to people who have been horribly injured at work through no fault of their own.
Patrick Allen
President, APIL
