Health and safety report imminent
17 November 2011
The results of the UK’s biggest review of
health and safety legislation in over a decade will be released in
just 11 days, it has been confirmed today (17 November).
IOSH heard that Professor Ragnar Löfstedt - the man tasked with
carrying out the independent review - will reveal his findings on
Monday 28 November. News arrived during ‘Reforming health and
safety at work’ an event held in London, at which IOSH head of
policy and public affairs Richard Jones was speaking on the new
health and safety framework.
Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) chief medical adviser
and director for health, work and wellbeing Dr Bill Gunnyeon
confirmed the date during his talk about the Government’s progress
in reforming the health and safety industry’s legislation. He also
revealed that more than 2,640 health and safety consultants have
now joined the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants’ Register
(OSHCR).
Dr Gunnyeon added: “Whatever we do going
forwards has to manage to make sure health and safety legislation
doesn’t inhibit growth of business.”
Speaking immediately after the event on how
IOSH is preparing itself for the 28 November, Richard said:
“From here, we’ll be getting ready to react as quickly as possible
to the report, making contact with the DWP and collecting our
views. We’re also very pleased to have been invited to the launch
event.”
Much of the day’s focus was on how Professor Löfstedt’s review
would impact sectors of industry including higher education, the
public sector including councils and the fire service, construction
and insurers.
Association for Project Safety president John Banks spoke on the
impact of Government policies upon the construction industry, using
the London 2012 Olympic Games project delivery as an example of how
good health and safety can protect workers, even on a huge
scale.
In defence of the current legislative system,
he said: “We have world beating, world class legislation in this
country.”
This sentiment was echoed by the day’s speakers, who spoke up for
good health and safety and its role as the backbone of a
well-running, healthy, safe workforce, across all sectors in the
UK.
Nottinghamshire County Council health and safety manager Peter
Roddis, spoke of his concerns over the labelling of councils as in
the ‘low risk’ category and added that Professor Lofstedt’s review
could be a “defining moment” in health and safety. He also spoke up
for risk education in schools, and said the Council encouraged
teachers to challenge pupils with risks that would help them as the
workforce of the future.
Meanwhile, Graham Stagg, Cambridgeshire Fire
and Rescue Service chief executive and chief fire officer, spoke
about removing barriers for fire-fighters and said: “Some have
called for our exemption from health and safety laws, I say, ‘No,
no, no, no, no’.”
Instead, he talked about how the Chief Fire Officers Association
(CFOA) could work with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to
make sure the law could be applied to the Fire and Rescue Service,
adding that there was no place for risk aversion.
Summing up the event, Richard said: “It’s
struck me that there’s a call for consistency and common sense in
our health and safety legislation. It’s also been good to share
views, and I’ve found that a lot of the speakers were really
backing up the approach IOSH is taking.”