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News
David Woods, 22 Mar 2011
The Government has outlined a series of reforms it believes will herald 'a new start for health and safety regulation for Britain's businesses'.
Details of the reform proposals will be put out to public consultation, but the main plan is to modernise the health and safety inspection regime, with inspectors concentrating on high-risk locations and irresponsible employers.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) intends to take steps to eliminate 'cowboy' health and safety consultants through the operation of the occupational health and safety consultants' register, which has already received over 1,500 registrations.
Health and safety advice and guidance for small and low-risk businesses is to be made simple, accessible and bureaucracy-free and existing health. Safety law is to be reviewed in a bid to scrap measures that are an unnecessary burden on business, as part of the Government's aim to reduce bureaucracy for small businesses.
The review will be chaired by Ragnar Löfstedt, professor of risk management and the director of King's Centre for Risk Management at King's College London, supported by an independent advisory panel. It will publish its findings in autumn this year. Commenting on the proposals, Lynda Armstrong, chair of the trustees of the British Safety Council, said: "I welcome the continuing momentum to put commonsense back into health and safety. We have always encouraged a professional, proportionate and knowledgeable approach to managing safety in the workplace.
"These recommendations support our aims and we look forward to consulting our members on the proposals. Their views will help inform our submission to Government."
3 comments on this article |
Steve Thompson 22 Mar 2011
This is good news however, it is also important to ensure that there is some joined up thinking between private companies offering Health and Safety Management Systems to accept organisations registering with them (for a registration fee only)based on supply of a registration cert with another approved body, instead of having to complete the same 12 pages of questions and jump through the same hoops all over again. If a company is ISO 9001:2000 registered and approved by BSI the company is recognised to be operating and working at a certain minimum level, why not the same in Health and Safety?
Peter Copping 22 Mar 2011
There is no mention of the insurance companies, who wish to minimise risk. Is it better to have them rather than inspection? Or would people prefer the US system of in effect punitive damages and class actions led in the UK by no win no gain. In fact HSE does concentrate on high risk areas (but scaffolding still falls into the street, or are climbed by adventurers. And the law is mostly advice (codes of practice (and what does you insurance company say?)
Richard Evens, St John Ambulance 23 Mar 2011
The latest set of changes to workplace health and safety guidance aim to ease some of the administrative burden often faced by businesses. But employers should avoid interpreting the reduction in inspections as a reason to lose focus on workplace safety. It’s vital that all employers make the necessary efforts to ensure their health and safety provision is up-to-scratch in terms of both primary and secondary planning, or they will face severe consequences, now potentially including the costs of inspection. We urge employers to take this opportunity to make sure that they are not only minimising the chances of injury for their employees, but they have the trained and equipped personnel in place to respond when accidents do occur. We’ve seen the impact that poor health and safety practices can have on a business, be it financial, reputational or even worse, at the cost of someone’s life. By training more than the regulatory minimum of staff in first aid, employers can not only ensure they are meeting regulatory requirements, but reducing dangerous gaps and increasing employee safety.
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