Company chiefs are more concerned with boosting profits and customer satisfaction than they are with the health and safety of their workers, according to a new survey.
The poll of executives, which included those in some of Britain's largest firms, showed improving health and safety ranked fifth in line to other business concerns.
And only 13 per cent of bosses placed this issue among their top three most important corporate aims.
Their main priorities were generating higher profits for shareholders and increasing customer satisfaction (89 per cent); developing new products and services (54 per cent) and providing more training for staff (37 per cent).
The survey, carried out by Mori for the British Safety Council, involved face-to-face interviews.
It was carried out in an attempt to gauge industry attitudes towards Government initiatives aimed at improving health and safety at work and on the railways.
These Government recommendations included a new offence of corporate killing to make directors criminally liable for deaths caused through negligence and introducing tough new penalties, including jail sentences, for breaking health and safety laws.
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