Proactive Health And Safety Inspections – The Story So Far

One of the greatest risks to the health and safety of workers is the Government’s strategy with regard to preventing illness, accidents and deaths at work.

Basically they don’t have one, don’t want one, and simply don’t give a damn about the welfare of working people.

But there does remain some confusion as to the current situation with regard to the HSE’s proactive inspections strategy as dictated by the Tory-led ConDem(ned) government.

Hilda Palmer from GM Hazards seeks to clarify the situation:

Grayling’s strategy “Good Health & Safety Good for Everyone” published March 2011 introduced the Fee for Fault scheme which resulted in;

• 33% immediate cut in proactive inspections

• 11,000 fewer for HSE,

• 65,000 fewer for Local Authorities with the ban due to be set in law soon!

The sectors in which such proactive inspections were banned were so called ' low hazard/risk'

• Proactive inspections are preventative and put things right before someone gets killed injured or made ill, especially important for occupational health

• Proactive inspections still allowed in Nuclear industry, High

• Hazard sites, Construction, Waste & Recycling and Foundries

• Banned in: quarries, docks, agriculture, whole of manufacturing, electrical engineering, emergency services, road & air transport,  public sector, service sector

• However HSE had to reinstate them for cooling towers due to Legionnaire outbreaks and some parts of docks due to deaths.

Source: Hilda Palmer

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