Löfstedt Health And Safety Review Report Imminent
Billed as ‘a timely opportunity for key stakeholders to examine the latest developments on health and safety policies, share ideas on how they can be further developed and understand the next stages in the implementation process for health and safety reform.’; today’s (17th November) conference on health & safety reform organised by Inside Government, was the scene for the announcement that the results of the government’s review of health & safety by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, will be published on Monday 28 November.
The conference held in London entitled ‘Reforming Health and Safety At Work’, saw the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) chief medical adviser and director for health, work and wellbeing Dr Bill Gunnyeon announce the date during his talk about the Government’s progress in reforming the health and safety industry’s legislation.
As previously suggested on this website, the Tory led Con-Dem(ned) coalition government aims to decimate health & safety legislation on the grounds that it is currently a burden on employers and costs jobs irrespective of any evidence to the contrary.
This suggestion has in fact now been confirmed by Dr Gunnyeon who was quoted as saying:
“Whatever we do going forwards has to manage to make sure health and safety legislation doesn’t inhibit growth of business.”, during his speech.
IOSH head of policy and public affairs Richard Jones was speaking on the new health and safety framework at the conference.
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.
Today’s press release by IOSH about the conference and the forthcoming review documents due to be published at a special launch event on 28th November, gives the impression of tacit support for the Government’s approach to health & safety legislation, even before, they have seen the final document.
Summing up after the event, Richard Jones is quoted in their press release as saying:
“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.”
Reading the website detailing the conference is quite interesting, and once again clearly gives the impression of support for the Government’s stance on reducing so-called ‘red tape’ from business and including Health & Safety legislation as one of the many burdens placed upon business!
To quote the conference blurb on the Inside Government website:
“According to the Health Safety Executive (HSE), figures indicate that the combined incidence of injury and ill health in the UK is much the same now as it was five years ago.
Recognising a need for change, the government has outlined a series of new health and safety measures and procedures, with the aim to reduce the unnecessary red tape and regulation that prevent the effective use and maintenance of quality health and safety standards.”
Many within the health & safety community would take issue about the validity of both the above statements, but it is obviously a pro-government stance which has shaped both the need for and the agenda of the conference.
Indeed, the opening session in itself, gives away the theme and approach of the conference as one of supporting the government’s aims for the future of health & safety in the UK:
Opening Keynote: Reforming Britain’s Health and Safety System
- The governments progress on health and safety reform: Common sense, common safety
- Proposals and implementation
- Working towards EU health and safety: is this a burden or an opportunity for the UK?
- Making health and safety information accessible and prioritising high risk and emergency
- Reducing red tape for business and promoting growth:
- How can you be involved?
- Accommodating for high risk services
- EU regulation: making sure that health and safety rules are not overly prescriptive
Dr. Bill Gunnyeon, Chief Medical Adviser & Director, Health, Work and Wellbeing, Department for Work and Pensions
IOSH had their own spot in the conference as detailed below:
Perspective on the Reformed Health and Safety Framework
- Renewing the H&S framework since Lord Young’s review ‘Common Sense, Common Safety’
- Championing the benefits of sensible H&S
- Tackling the myths of health and safety law
- Raising awareness and standards
Richard Jones, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Institution of Occupational Health and Safety
Attending such a conference was not cheap, at a cost of £325 to £495 to each of the above for the first delegate alone. So the question is; why hold a conference with such an agenda, prior to the publication of the Löfstedt Review?
It seems that without full knowledge of the results of the review, such a conference can only possibly result in a wish-list from those attending and is rather premature. Many may well be forgiven in concluding that it was a mere publicity exercise promoting the aims of the Government.
We can only await with baited breathe to see if the results of the review once published concur with the direction evident within the conference agenda and with that taken by IOSH.
You can see details of the agenda and website of the Inside Government event in this downloadable pdf document
(Source: Inside Government / IOSH / DWP)
