Lots of ordinary jobs have suddenly become dangerous - even life-threatening. Care workers are the new coal miners. Yet our ability to enforce safety in the workplace has been crushed since 2010 https://www.ft.com/content/0e9d502e-9e6e-11ea-b65d-489c67b0d85d?sharetype=blocked (thx @GrahamTAtkins for the chart)

Proactive inspections by the Health & Safety Executive have dropped a third since 2010. Proactive inspections by local authorities have dropped 95 per cent.

This isn't just because of budget cuts. In 2011 the coalition government commanded HSE and local authorities to do far less, in the name of boosting economic growth & entrepreneurship. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66745/good-health-and-safety.pdf

Local authorities are critical here. They are responsible for enforcing health & safety in care homes, shops, offices, distribution centres. But about 140 LAs don't even have one full-time inspector left.

Boris Johnson has promised HSE will do "spot checks" to make sure employers are "Covid-secure" but I don't see how HSE has capacity, let alone LAs. I asked HSE when & how these spot checks would commence; no response after 4 days.

Without any enforcement, it's easy to see how scrupulous employers could be undercut by unscrupulous ones, who cram more people onto production lines, run them faster, etc. Yes workers can blow the whistle, but in a deep recession, many will be too scared to lose their jobs.

Most employers will want to do the right thing. But if you don't believe unscrupulous ones exist, & thrive when enforcement is lacking, read this https://www.ft.com/content/e427327e-5892-11e8-b8b2-d6ceb45fa9d0

(Incidentally, I'm still on maternity leave, but back to work soon. If there's stuff unfolding that you think I should know about, do email me - [email protected])