The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a review of UK health and safety Regulations, to be headed by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, a risk management specialist and academic.
The review will focus on reducing the “burden of health and safety legislation on UK businesses”, while at the same time “maintaining the progress made in improving health and safety outcomes”.
In particular it will consider the scope for combining, simplifying or reducing the – approximately 200 – statutory instruments owned by and primarily enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities, and the associated Approved Codes of Practice which provide advice on compliance with health and safety law.
How does it work?
Contributors are asked to focus on ten questions. For instance, whether there are any Regulations that have improved health and safety and should not be changed, or any that have created “significant additional burdens on business” but which have had limited impact on health or safety.
The review also asks contributors to identify Regulations that could be simplified or merged or abolished altogether without any negative impact on health or safety.
It also asks for evidence to show that the “requirements of EU Directives have or have not been unnecessarily enhanced (‘gold-plated’) when incorporated into UK health and safety regulation?”
Finally, it asks whether health and safety law suitably places responsibility in an appropriate way on those who create risk; and if not, what changes would be required to ensure that they do.
The consultation closes on 29 July.
To download the pdf document, go to The Department for Work and Pensions - Lofstedt Review