| Government Hasty in Achieving June Deadline – IOSH Cautions about Implications of Lofstedt’s Recommendations
The recent publication of the reviews made by Professor Ragnar Lofstedt on the health and safety in the UK, will impact both the people of UK as well as primary health and safety body – the HSE! While complimenting the Professor’s findings and advice on several aspects of health and safety, the IOSH also felt certain recommendations were rather fruitless and less helpful and placed a heavy burden on the HSE.
The Lofstedt committee looked into 200 aspects of health and safety laws in the UK and placed several recommendations before the government. The IOSH supported the idea of health and safety executives looking into its Approved Codes of Practice, but was pessimistic about the government’s proposed execution of the plans and sceptical about the methodology proposed. Besides which a deadline of June 2012 for the first stage seemed a bit hasty and over ambitious!
Under the selection of recommendations, which failed the approval of the IOSH, were that the HSE’s budget was reduced by 35% placing a hurdle in the functionality of the HSE. Investigations into severe accidents and providing advice and support to risky or shaky businesses, was part and parcel of the HSE, which was all likely to suffer.
It was stated that the self-employed, whose jobs were not in any way risky to others were exempt from health and safety laws. The IOSH did not consider this a necessity or of great help and was rather felt as a detrimental step!
The IOSH felt that telling people that one million of them would be exempt from red tape was not a correct statement, as businesses with less than 5 employees would have less paperwork anyway.
The HSE has been made responsible for local inspections and enforcements in order to identify risky businesses. While appreciating the proposal, the IOSH felt that it would be stretching the limits on the demands on the HSE!
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