Consultations and reviews
RoSPA influences Health and Safety policy by responding to consultations and contributing to review panels, with ideas and suggestions which we believe should be considered.
HSE triennial review
In April 2013 Martin Temple, EEF was asked to lead the Triennial Review of the Health and Safety Executive on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
Triennial Review Report: Health and Safety Executive An independent review of the function, form and governance of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
RoSPA broadly welcomed the reviews conclusions and recommendations.
Löfstedt review
Background
The Department for Work and Pensions' Minister for Employment, the Rt Hon Chris Grayling, asked Professor Löfstedt to chair an independent review of health and safety legislation, supported by an advisory panel of cross-party politicians, employer representatives and employee representatives. (The Löfstedt Review – call for evidence).
The review considered the opportunities for reducing the burden of health and safety legislation on UK businesses while maintaining the progress made in improving health and safety outcomes. In particular it considering the scope for combining, simplifying or reducing the – approximately 200 – statutory instruments owned by HSE and primarily enforced by HSE and Local Authorities, and the associated Approved Codes of Practice (ACoP) which provide advice, with special legal status, on compliance with health and safety law.
The review was published in November 2011 - Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety legislation; Professor Ragnar E Löfstedt.
RoSPA response to Löfstedt review of health and safety legislation
RoSPA welcomed the findings of the Löfstedt Review - which confirmed that the present legal structure for health and safety is broadly fit for purpose - and said the challenge now is to embed a proportionate approach to accident and ill health prevention across the entire health and safety system.
RoSPA's view
RoSPA submission for the Löfstedt review (PDF) set out information, ideas and suggestion which RoSPA believed should be considered by the Löfstedt Review Team.
Review of HSG65 – Successful health and safety management
Background
The HSE revised the well known occupational safety guide HSG65 - Successful health and safety management.
HSG65 was first published in 1997 and was updated to reflect the modern business approach to managing in general and to recognise the changed business environment.
The new guide is aimed at managers of medium to larger companies. The guidance focuses much more on how to manage, using people, rather than on management by systems and reflects important contemporary agendas such as health, leadership and workforce involvement. View the new guidance Managing for health and safety (HSG65).
RoSPA's view
RoSPA were part of a web-based community helping the HSE revise HSG65.
RoSPA urged that, the whole library of HSE guidance related to managing health and safety needs to be set out in a simple route map or diagram to show the reader who is interested where they can get more detailed information on issues such as risk assessment, investigation, performance measurement, safety culture, human factors, leadership, workforce involvement, specialist advice and benchmarking.
RoSPA has supported the case for continuing to update HSE guidance to organisations on managing health and safety. HSG65 is embedded in teaching, auditing, standards etc. however it does need enrichment to reflect important contemporary agendas such as health, leadership and workforce involvement.
The real challenge is to help the many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - that make up the bulk of the private sector - on a journey to becoming self reliant. Many SMEs tend to say "just tell us what to do" or would simply like to be able to outsource the whole question,
RoSPA strongly supports the "core criteria" approach that underpins mutual recognition of health and safety pre-qualification as promoted by Safety Schemes in Procurement. This is essentially a list of core actions as opposed to a management system but it does help to focus the mind of the SME down on to what the client or main contractor would like to see in place. Once those steps are taken then it is more likely that health and safety issues will be better understood and will begin to be subject to more regular review and thus the process of continuous improvement can begin.
HSE Strategy – The health and safety of Great Britain – Be part of the solution
Background
The HSE ran a three month consultation process on the strategy calling on their partners to take part. The consultation ended on the 3rd March 2009.
The draft strategy identified goals in the following key areas:
- The need for strong leadership
- Building competence
- Involving the workforce
- Creating healthier, safer workplaces
- Customising support for SMEs
- Avoiding catastrophe
- Taking a wider perspective.
The HSE Strategy is available to download from the HSE web site.
RoSPA's view
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA's Occupational Safety Adviser responded to the consultation on behalf of RoSPA's National Occupational Safety and Health Committee. Here you can read RoSPA's Response.