The HSC Business Plan for 2005-06 to 2007-08

Essential Underpinning Work

39. The range of work described below is vital to delivery of the targets and the long-term capability of HSE.

Policy Programme

40. The overarching objective of this Programme is for HSE to lead the way in applying the Government’s better regulation principles, while supporting delivery of HSE’s Strategy and PSA targets. We describe this as ‘Regulating for Results’. This work includes the Business and Worker Involvement STEPs. In addition, significant specific objectives are to:

• Align EU activity with HSE’s agenda, and influence the next EU strategy from 2007, initially through the UK Presidency Health and Safety event
• Implement HSE’s forward legislative programme and keep it under critical review to ensure delivery of outcomes by non-legislative means where possible
• Improve efficiency of regulation:
  • Develop a programme of work with other regulators and stakeholders to address potential areas of overlap or duplication in their sectors.
  • Implement a Programme designed to move away from more rigid regulatory approaches where practical, and encourage industry/sectors to fill the gap with their own health and safety strategies– e.g. ports, other marine issues, and domestic gas safety
  • Support delivery of Major Hazards PSA targets by working to align internally and externally driven policy changes with delivery
• Ensuring the HSE position on health and safety competence, education and training is reflected in the National Standards Framework

• Consult on the RIDDOR review, and, in the light of the Hampton report, ensure the penalty regime delivers effective outcomes for the health and safety system

Comply with the developing legal framework on equality.

 

Communication

41. By developing communication as an intervention, we can improve the quality of our decision-making, help confirm trust and achieve higher levels of recognition and respect for health and safety.

42. Our communication objectives for the next three years are to:

• Promote the case for sensible health and safety by communicating its benefits
• Present a clear picture of our role and focus
• Build partnerships by communicating better with and through partners
• Put in place effective internal communications
• Establish a strong and dynamic strategic communications approach
• Develop a communications culture across the HSC/E.

43. We will put significant additional resources into communication activity. We will put a new emphasis on campaigning, using a wide range of media, to contribute to delivering our targets in the coming years.

44. A campaign in February 2005 to promote the business benefits of health and safety to larger firms will continue during the year and will culminate in a health and safety award, a new dimension to the National Business Awards in November 2005. We plan parallel activity to award good health and safety performance in the public sector.

45. Other major campaigns will challenge managers and employees to address risks from manual handling and slips and trips, both significant causes of injury and ill health in the working environment.

Science and Innovation

46. The application of science has always made an essential contribution to delivering HSE’s mission. HSE uses its scientists, engineers and the research it funds to understand problems and develop effective practical solutions for a wide range of workplaces.

47. Science provides HSE with evidence on the causes of ill health and incidents in the workplace and the factors influencing people’s behaviour; it helps to develop solutions to control a range of workplace risks; it provides evidence on the effectiveness of our interventions and progress towards our targets; and it influences where our priorities lie.

48. We have developed a new HSC Science Strategy for 2005-2008, ‘Gathering Evidence; Developing Understanding; Identifying Solutions’, in consultation with stakeholders to target research and support expenditure. The Science Strategy will focus activity on delivering the HSC Strategy and targets.

49. In addition to Strategic Programme research and support, we will also:

• Support the investigation of incidents and complaints
• Deliver statutory schemes, e.g. explosives licensing
• Position HSE to respond to future health and safety issues arising from industrial innovation by, for example, horizon scanning, developing the evidence base and understanding the impact of its interventions.

Further information can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/research

http://www.hsesro.com

Intelligence, Statistics and Economic Analysis

50. Developing the evidence base for our Strategic Programmes continues to be a priority. Engaging the right mix of expertise within the programme management teams is important to ensure that we commission and manage research effectively, to obtain sufficient evidence to design and performance manage our Strategic Programmes.

51. HSE is developing major new surveys to improve its knowledge and understanding of the factors that influence the health and safety performance of organisations. The ‘Workplace Health and Safety Survey’ (WHASS), will run during 2005/06 for the first time. This will collect information from employers and employees to give us a richer picture of how injuries, ill health, etc are affected by knowledge of the risks and management and employee attitude, behaviour and actions.

52. WHASS, together with other new sources (such as data from GPs about the incidence of ill health, injuries and associated days lost from work) will also provide greater assurance about our progress on the “improvement in the control of risks in the workplace” referred to in the PSA.

53. HSE is developing an ‘Index of Harm’ that combines information on injury and ill health incidence, severity and avoidability into a comparative measure to guide resource allocation.