IOSH Claim Young HS Review Is Turning Point
A Government review published today could mark a “turning point” for health and safety in the UK, the profession’s largest international body said today.
IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) said it broadly welcomed Lord Young’s recommendations, which include a clampdown on “absurd” applications of health and safety legislation and measures to make it easier for teachers to organise school trips.
IOSH Chief Executive Rob Strange said:
“We warmly welcome this review. We are sick and tired of hearing of misinterpretations of health and safety laws which end in the cancellation of perfectly safe activities. Lord Young is absolutely right: The standing of health and safety has been lowered by ridiculous applications of the rules. This has to end. We think this review could see a turning point for health and safety in the UK by turning the focus away from daft decisions about conker competitions and hanging baskets and back onto saving people’s lives in genuinely hazardous areas of work and public life.”
In a report published today, Lord Young said the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act remains an “effective framework” and had brought about the lowest number of non-fatal accidents and second lowest number of fatal accidents at work in Europe. But health and safety had been given a bad name, said the former Government minister, by misinterpretations of the rules.
Lord Young is recommending controls on no win-no fee lawyers, the simplification of risk assessments for some businesses and the accreditation of health and safety consultants.
He is also advising the Government to cut red tape for school trips, apply extra scrutiny of councils which ban events on health and safety grounds and to ensure the emergency services are not at risk of litigation for acts of heroism.
Mr Strange said:
“It’s a little early to comment on the specific recommendations made by Lord Young, which have been made public only this morning. But we do think the Government is broadly on the right track and we will support it in whatever way we can.”
However, commenting on Lord Young’s report, Tina Weadick Editor – Safety & Health Practitioner said in a news release today:
“Based on his answers to questions during a press conference held immediately after this morning’s launch of the report, I also wonder just how robust some of the information on which he bases many of his recommendations is. For example, when asked to back up his claim that there are “many” health and safety consultants out there with no qualifications who are giving duff advice, he simply said: “That’s what I’ve been told.”
Similarly, when challenged on exempting the Police and fire-fighters from prosecution for undertaking an act of heroism, he had to acknowledge that such a situation hasn’t actually arisen as yet, but “it might”.
Lord Young also appeared to express a confused notion of the importance of risk-assessing on issues such as stress in the workplace, suggesting that managing the issue has nothing to do with carrying out a risk assessment but is simply about considering the health and well-being of employees.
IOSH, too, has previously questioned some of Lord Young’s views, although it worked hard with the peer from the initial announcement of his review to ensure that he had all the information he needed. As chief executive Rob Strange said earlier today, this marks a “turning point” for health and safety in the UK so it just remains to be seen where the change of direction takes us.”
Jason Anker, 42, of Farndon, in Nottinghamshire, was paralysed in 1992 when the ladder he was on slipped and fell between two buildings. He has had an 18-year-struggle to get his life back on track, including lengthy spells in hospital, the collapse of his marriage, drink and drug problems, and compensation issues which were only resolved in 2007.
Jason is backing IOSH in raising awareness about the dangers of poor health and safety.
He said:
“Health and safety does have a bad image because people presume it’s about rules and restrictions. At the end of the day, it’s about saving lives and preventing accidents at work. If the laws in 1992 were as tight as they are now I would be standing, not sitting in a wheelchair, saying this today.”
Source: IOSH
