Now that he is Prime Minister, what are we to make of David Cameron’s pre-election rhetoric about introducing changes to how the government handles health and safety issues?
Clearly any opinions expressed before the review has taken place are conjecture at best. However, we do have some pointers based on views expressed by those who are most intimately involved with the review, for example:
David Cameron’s View
Prior to the general election, David Cameron stated, “something 
has gone seriously wrong with the spirit of health and safety over the last decade”. He also said, “an ‘over-the-top’ health and safety culture has become embedded in the national way of life”.
More recently, the Prime Minister reiterated similar sentiments in the words, “The rise of the compensation culture over the last 10 years is a real concern, as is the way health and safety rules are sometimes applied.” He then went on to say, “We need a sensible new approach that makes clear these laws are intended to protect people, not overwhelm businesses with red tape.”
Lord Young’s View
Lord Young of Graffham is to head up the review. In regard to health and safety, Lord Young is quoted as saying, “Health and Safety regulation is essential in some industries but may well have been applied too generally and have become an unnecessary burden on firms, but also community organisations and public services. I hope my review will reintroduce an element of common sense and focus the regulation where it is most needed.”
Conservative Election Manifesto
You can read a more formal statement on the Conservative party’s approach from this extract from their Public Sector Election Manifesto.
HSE’s View
Judith Hackitt, who is chair of the Health and Safety Executive appears to be taking a positive though cautious approach to the review. In a letter to Lord Young, she welcomed the review and offered the HSE’s help in gathering evidence for the inquiry.
For years, the HSE has been attempting to debunk the many myths that have grown up around Health and Safety and they believe that too often it is invoked to disguise someone’s real motives, such as concerns over costs or complexity, or an unwillingness to honestly defend an unpopular decision.
Union’s View
The Unions appear to be rather more suspicious. The TUC believes the review is likely to undermine the already limited legal protection of UK workers. Far from any relaxation of the regulations, Brendon Barber – General Secretary of the TUC – believes that rather than focusing solely on the needs of business, the government should protect workers by increasing inspections and enforcement action against employers who put their staff at risk by ignoring existing laws.
Your View
Having quoted the views of some prominent spokespersons, it might be more interesting to hear the views of people who are involved with the day-to-day business of dealing with health and safety – people who read this newsletter, for example.
We invite your feedback and if we receive sufficient response we will publish the results.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, simply indicate so in your email and we will omit your personal details.
It is unlikely that such an unscientific gathering of views will have much influence on the outcome of the review but it would still be interesting to know what others are thinking.
Please email us on feedback@edp-uk.com.
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