As the government plans to cut health and safety laws, business groups anticipate that small businesses will benefit from significant savings as a result.
The government have revealed that over the next three years more than 50% of approximately 200 existing health and safety regulations will be abolished or changed. This announcement follows the publication of the independent Lofstedt Review which recommended slashing unnecessary regulation.
Key proposals include:
- The abolition of health and safety laws for the self-employed whose work poses no threat to others
- The setting up of a new Challenge Panel to enable businesses to dispute health and safety rulings made against them
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to oversee inspections rather than local councils
Other laws will also be simplified such as the reporting of workplace accidents and the requirement for annual testing of electrical appliances are to be relaxed.
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has welcomed the announcement, describing it as “the beginning of the end for pointless red tape.”
A FPB spokesman commented: “This should save employers money and make for a fairer, fit-for-purpose system with an emphasis on personal responsibility.”
He added that, FPB particularly welcome the proposals to limit employers’ liability for damages where they have sensibly managed risk, commenting: “civil action against businesses is a huge issue for our members and many over-compensate where health and safety is concerned.”
The Institute of Directors (IoD) have also praised the announcement, saying many businesses “feared the huge burden of red tape.”
“So much regulation is unnecessary and expensive,” said an IoD spokesman. “We’ve heard of IoD members paying consultants for advice on office furniture to comply with health and safety rules, while others have had train staff in hazardous chemicals in case they came into contact with toilet cleaner.”
Photo by Nigel Wedge – CC
