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HSE bans local authorities from unnecessary safety checks

Unnecessary health and safety inspections carried out by local authorities have been banned by a new code brought in on Wednesday.

This change means the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will target proactive council inspections that look at higher risk activities in specific sectors, or where there is knowledge of risky behaviour from a workplace that endangers its employees or the public.

Tens of thousands of businesses will be removed from health and safety inspections if checks are not justified on a risk basis, including a lot of shops and offices.

Poor performers will continue to receive checks where high risk activities are being carried out, such as at cooling towers.

Minister for Employment, Mark Hoban, commented: “We need health and safety that protects people where there are real risks but doesn’t stifle businesses. “There are too many examples of local councils imposing unnecessary burdens by inspecting low risk businesses.

“This new Code should put a stop to this by putting common sense back into the system.”

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has backed the change, and chairwoman of its health and safety committee, Mary Boughton, commented on the new code.

She said: “The FSB supports the principles behind the new local authority enforcement code for health and safety at work.

“We believe that it is important to ensure that all local authority health and safety inspections are consistently risk based and proportionate to ensure that low-risk, compliant businesses are able to concentrate on growth.”

If low risk businesses feel unnecessarily targeted they will have the option of complaining to an independent panel, who will then investigate and announce a public judgement.

HSE will work with local authorities whose targeting of inspections does not meet the new standards outlined in the code.

HSE Chair Judith Hackitt said: “Real improvement in safety performance will come from targeting those who put their employees at greatest risk.

“Local inspectors have a very important role to play in ensuring the effective and proportionate management of risks by businesses, and the Code is designed to guide them to do this.

“It sets out how targeting should be achieved, providing certainty for both businesses and regulators. HSE will be working with local authorities to ensure the Code is successfully implemented.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .