CWU Respond to HSE Consultative Document

The Health and Safety Executive, following the Hampton Report and the Better Regulation reports are looking at a range of new penalties to deal with those alleged to have breached health and safety regulations.

Consultation on 'Alternative Penalties for Health and Safety Offences' ended in December and the CWU has responded this week with a detailed document written by their H&S National Officer Dave Joyce.

Initially issued in LTB047/06, it can be downloaded from the 'members only' section.

The HSE consultation document has requested views on a number of things such as:

  • 'administrative fines' which would be imposed by Inspectors for administrative offences without the need to go to court,
  • 'fixed penalty and "on-the-spot" fines for certain offences such as failure to report accidents under RIDDOR or in conjunction with improvement notices.
  • 'enforceable undertakings' , which is an instruction to make safety improvements to benefit the workforce or wider community,
  • 'remedial orders' which are currently available in the health and safety at work act but rarely used to force companies to rectify safety shortcomings,
  • 'corporate probation' for companies and directors flouting health and safety regulations which lay down quite clearly what has to be achieved during the period of the probation.
  • 'adverse publicity orders' forcing companies to publicise their health and safety record within their annual reports and pay for adverts in the press informing the public of the nature of health and safety offences and penalties .

The CWU response welcomes proposals for a greater range and availability of penalties, and reflects concern that the current penalties, the level of fines and the level of enforcement activity are inadequate to deal with the widespread health and safety problems in the UK.

CWU Response to HSC/E Alternative Penalties for Health and Safety Offences


 
 
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