C024:06 11 October 2006

Keeping it simple

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have today published their simplification plan as part of their continuing commitment to better, smarter regulation to help business comply and so improve health and safety.

The plan is available at www.hse.gov.uk/simplification/index.htm

The plan outlines initiatives to reduce the paperwork costs to business associated with complying with health and safety law while maintaining or improving heath and safety standards. The report builds upon work already started by HSC/E on sensible risk and the need for businesses to focus on real health and safety risks rather than generating unnecessary paper mountains.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Minister for health and safety, commented: "This is an excellent way forward for health and safety. I believe that HSC/E has prepared a robust, challenging plan, balancing both administrative burden reduction and wider better regulation initiatives. The plan outlines its commitment to delivering real and significant reductions in the costs to business of compliance with legislation. It aims to maintain or improve health and safety outcomes, while reducing costs of unnecessary paperwork to duty holders."

Key initiatives in this, the first year of the plan, focus on elements that affect the largest number of employers. These include:

• Sensible risk management –simplifying HSE guidance to and encourage a proportionate approach to risk assessment and management
• Gas Safety Review – a review of the current regulatory regime, to improve and modernise the system on a risk and evidence basis
• Forms–projects to reduce the number and burden of HSE forms by stripping out all out-of-date forms and providing electronic versions of all those remaining.

Over the next four years HSE will be developing and updating the plan to report on progress and to ensure it continues to target the priority areas of concern to business.

HSC/E have consulted widely with businesses, trade bodies and unions in developing the plan. They continue to encourage feedback on the plan and any ideas for new simplification initiatives that might be included.

Welcoming the publication Dr Janet Asherson, head of health and safety at the CBI said, "CBI supports the removal of unnecessary administrative and bureaucratic burdens on business and welcomes the Health and Safety Executive contribution to the overall Government Better Regulation Initiative. The hard work put into this simplification plan will pay off when businesses notice the difference resulting from the actions it outlines."

Hugh Robertson, senior health and safety officer at the TUC said, “The TUC has always supported strong effective regulation. However if regulation can be simplified without reducing the level of protection it affords, that is in the interests of employees, employers and regulators. We believe the HSE/C have recognised this in their simplification plan which stresses that good regulation must be fit for purpose and effective.”

Notes to editors

• Better regulation across public and private sectors is a priority for the Government, and has the personal commitment of both the Prime Minister and Chancellor. In the 2005 Budget the Government announced the publication of the Hampton and Better Regulation Task Force (BRTF) reports. These two key reports have set all Departments and regulators big challenges to reduce administrative burdens whilst improving effectiveness and outcomes. As a key regulator, HSE has given a firm commitment to deliver the better regulation agenda and it has moved quickly to establish a robust programme in response to the challenge.

• The key task in delivering the BRTF recommendations is for all Departments, including HSC/E, to prepare a rolling programme of simplification measures contained in a simplification plan. HSC/E’s plan will incorporate the recommendations made by the BRTF but also the wider better regulation agenda and the recommendations in the Hampton report e.g. inspection activity and regulator mergers.

• The Health and Safety Commission’s strategy was launched on 23 February 2004, with the publication of A strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond. This can be viewed at www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/strategy.htm

• See Annex A for a ministerial statement from the Cabinet Office below.

Press enquiries

Ray Allger 020 7717 6179
Out of hours 020 7928 8382

Public enquiries

HSE's InfoLine 0845 3450055
Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG

HSE information and news releases can be accessed on the Internet www.hse.gov.uk/

Annex A

Joint Ministerial statement on HSE Simplification Plan

Hilary Armstrong and Pat McFadden today welcomed the publication of the HSE simplification plan. This sets out action that will be taken to remove unnecessary requirements, reduce the amount of paperwork and administration costs that government regulations place on businesses, frontline organisations and the third sector.

“Better regulation is vital to the continued economic success of the country. Britain is already one of the best places to do business, but to be  the best we need to find more effective ways of easing unnecessary burdens.

The Health and Safety Executive has made an excellent start today towards ensuring employees remain protected but not at the expense of organisations being over regulated. It is the first to publish its plan and it has not shied away from committing to an ambitious programme of regulatory reform.

The business world repeatedly cries out for government to cut through the red tape and that is what we are determined to do, with every government department publishing simplification plans over the next few weeks. This is not just about talk, this is about action."