We are pleased to introduce the HSC Business Plan for 2003-2004. This sets out the activities we will take forward, with our enforcement partners in local authorities, and with others to deliver the priorities identified in the HSC Strategic Plan for 2001-2004.

In 2003/04 HSC, HSE and local authorities will build on the progress made over the first two years of the Strategic Plan. The Business Plan sets out what we will do to develop our priority programmes further to ensure they are all pulling towards delivering our commitments to achieve the very challenging PSA targets set in the 2001 Strategy. It also describes the work we are taking forward to build on our strategy for Major Hazards through developing a PSA target that will support our work here to reduce still further the likelihood of catastrophic incidents. Complementary to these key priorities will be continuing work to: secure compliance with the law; improve and modernise legislation; promote science and innovation and apply it to our priorities; and provide information and advice on health and safety.

2004 onwards: developing a new strategy

During this year HSC and HSE will be looking beyond the current Strategic Plan and will be working with stakeholders to develop a strategy for health and safety that will take us to 2010 and beyond. Our framing vision for this strategy is to gain recognition of health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society, and with that achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world.

The challenges involved in delivering our current plans and the national health and safety targets have highlighted the need for us to change. Realistically, health and safety is not yet a cornerstone of our society: how else do we explain the 40 million days lost to illness and injury in 2001/2002?

We will therefore be aiming to:

• develop new ways to establish and maintain an effective health and safety culture in a changing economy, so that all employers take their responsibilities seriously, the workforce is fully involved and risks are properly managed.
• do more to address the new and emerging work-related health issues
• achieve higher levels of recognition and respect for health and safety as an integral part of a modern, competitive business and public sector and as a contribution to social justice and inclusion
• exemplify public sector best practice in managing our resources. –

This Business Plan is part of the transition to a new strategy. We will use the experience of this plan and consult widely to develop a strategy that enables us to protect people’s health and safety by ensuring risks in the changing workplace are properly controlled. Our staff and our stakeholders remain the most vital ingredient in this challenging work.