Health and Safety at Work Act etc.1974, New Section 18 Standard to be released in April.
A new Section 18 Standard on making adequate arrangements for enforcement will be released at the beginning of April. The Standard has been agreed by the Management Boards of LACoRS and HSE and also by the Health and Safety Commission and will replace existing Section18 Guidance.
The Standard is called “Making a Difference……” and will apply to both Local Authorities and HSE’s Field Operations Directive. The Standard will be an electronic document available via the HSE’s website and also accessed via HELex.
It has four basic sections:-
- “Make it Happen……” - systems and infrastructure
- “Do it Right …..” - enforcement policy
- “Work together……” - partnership
- “Sell the story ……” - promoting sensible risk management
Each section will be supported by further web accessed information. Some of this information is still in development, for example the development and training needs tool to aid provision of a competent inspectorate, and for this reason there is a 3 year lead in period for all enforcing authorities to be fully compliant and to embed the Standard within their organisations. Most well-managed enforcing authorities will already be complying with the majority of the Standard.
Further information will be available in the next LAU Newsletter
Gerry Kasprzok, Local Authority Unit
Tel: 01603 828046
Email: gerry.kasprzok@hse.gsi.gov.uk
The new Fit3 Street for 2008-09
All of the 2008-09 Fit3 information relevant for local authorities is now available online at the new-look Fit3 Street at www.hse.gov.uk/fit3street/index.htm.
Some of the benefits are:
- Key information is displayed clearly, coherently and concisely - giving the objective of each project, the justification for it, the key audience, the key messages to pass on, and what activities are required and when;
- Links to further sources of information such as Sector Information Minutes (SIMs) and Local Authority Circulars (LACs) are provided, as well as links to relevant areas of the HSE website;
- Users can search for information by both type of premises and by topic;
- There is a new “Report Back” feature – where users can fill out a simple and easy form describing projects they have delivered etc, and then email it to us at the click of a button! Narrative reports can also be done via this mechanism.
- A campaign timeline and “Fit3 at a glance” table is provided; and
Fit3 Street was designed specifically for local authority staff to use.
We’re hoping that you will see it as a valuable tool in helping you ensure that those working in your local areas are Fit for Work, Fit for Life, and Fit for Tomorrow.
If you have any comments or suggestions for the site, please contact:
Ravi Guhadasan, Fit3 Communications Manager
Tel: 020 7717 6964
Email: ravi.guhadasan@hse.gsi.gov.uk
HELA Training Co-Ord website
Website closure
This website will close shortly after 31 March 2008. The site content has not been updated for almost 3 years following the introduction of the HELA Extranet or HELex. Any LA H&S Regulator needing access to HELex (which is a secure website not available to the public) should contact david.hughes@hse.gsi.gov.uk.
Inspection report forms
A number of Local Authorities (LAs) continue to record Fit3 visit information on the HELA Training Co-Ord website via the online inspection report form (IRF) facility. After the website closure, this will no longer be available. From April 08 a new IRF will be used by HSE staff - a version of this will be available for LAs to use on HELex. Unfortunately the analytical package associated with the IRF on the HELA Training Co-Ord website cannot be exactly replicated in the current version of the HELex software but Local Authority Unit (LAU) are working to establish an acceptable solution in terms of providing LA users with their own analyses of their continuing IRF inputs. HELex software will be upgraded later this year - we are pressing for this to be as soon as possible - the new software enables us to provide a better look and feel to the new IRF and does provide us with a seamless high quality analysis package.
Retention and Provision of LA IRF data already input prior to website closure.
LAU are working with Salford University and their software supplier, Intellisoft, to determine the best options for capturing, retaining and subsequently making available to LA, via HELex or other means, analyses of LAs IRF input data. It is not our intention for this data to be lost or be no longer available. We hope to have further news on this shortly - watch out for updates on HELex.
Gareth Broughton, LAU
Tel: 0207-717-6828
Email: gareth.broughton@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Example Risk Assessments
HSE, LACORS and others is producing clear and concise examples of what a 'good enough' risk assessment might look like for particular industries and business sectors.
These example risk assessments will not be ready-made assessments that businesses can just adopt as their own. Instead, they are intended to:
- improve standards by demonstrating to dutyholders what a risk assessment is, the sort of hazards dutyholders should be thinking about and the practical steps that they can take to protect people; and
- save dutyholders time and money by providing them with better tools to do risk assessments.
6 new additional example risk assessments were recently published - ;for a private hire operators, a woodworking company, a plasterers, a poultry farm, a call centre and a dry cleaners. These can be viewed at hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies/index.htm.
More example RAs are intended for publication in the coming months, including for industries such as parking, entertainment and haulage, and will be announced in this newsletter.
Geoffrey Brown, Strategic Intelligence Unit
Tel: 0121-607-6267
Email: geoff.brown@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Improved gas safety scheme - update
The August newsletter reported progress with implementing the recommendations of the 2006 review of domestic gas safety with the launch of a competition for a new gas installer registration scheme. This will replace the current scheme operated by CORGI.
The first stage of this novel competition closed in early September and there was a good response from private companies and other organisations. On 25th January, HSE issued Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents to selected bidders. The closing date for bids is 10th March with these forming the basis for further negotiation with HSE. A decision is expected in June with the new scheme now set to start in April 2009.
The original timetable has been adjusted to take account of the strong commercial interest in running this scheme and reflects the complexity of this procurement exercise together with the need to ensure a fair and open competition for bidders.
Key features of the new scheme are:
- An innovative approach to the core services of registration including the way the register is operated, the current inspection process and the handling of stakeholders and gas consumers in a positive way. We have stressed the need for the new provider to add new value to the gas safety system for gas consumers.
- New functions including:
- coordinating and encouraging industry effective action on raising public awareness of gas safety risks;
- reviewing the existing competence framework criticised for being burdensome by gas installers; and
- considering scope for a new enforcement functions for the new provider to help tackle illegal gas work. These functions would be supplementary to existing HSE and LA enforcement functions and any proposals would be subject to full consultation.
- The creation of a new independent gas safety brand to be developed by the scheme provider but owned by HSE. The new gas safety brand will be kept clearly distinct from any provider branding to help ensure ring fencing between the registration scheme and any other activities undertaken by the scheme provider. This is also important in creating a level playing field for the competition, and will ensure that, in future competitions, the brand is easily transferrable. This will mean that from April 2009, the registration scheme will be operated under a new gas safety brand.
- Significant strengthening and improving of the governance and performance management arrangements between HSE and the new provider through a new five year agreement.
Further information on this competition and the specification for the new scheme is available in the Health and Safety Commission paper MISC/08/04:
Rosalyn Connolly, Domestic Gas Safety Policy
Tel: 020 7717 6705
Email: Rosalyn.connolly@hse.gsi.gov.uk
HSE Hampton Implementation Review – Final Report
The HSE Hampton Implementation Review Report is due for publication early March 2008.
The review was undertaken by UK National Audit Office who also looked at four other major regulators i.e. Food Standards Agency, Financial Services Authority, Environment Agency and Office of Fair Trading.
The HSE report along with the other regulators’ reports, were subject to a consistency panel. The main purpose being to ensure a broadly consistent and fair approach was taken in the drafting of the reports for each of the five regulators assessed.
Further information relating to the review can be obtained from the UK National Audit Office website at this link: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/workinprogress/wipindex.asp
CIEH/LACORS Way Ahead Conference, 28-29 February 2008, Stratford upon Avon
The first day of this year’s conference was devoted to Better Regulation – this included speakers from the Better Regulation Executive and the Local Better Regulation Executive who set out what actions were being taken, and what plans were being put in place, to take this agenda forward.
The three main national regulators, Food Standards Agency, Environment Agency and the HSE gave presentations with Geoffrey Podger the HSE’s Chief Executive providing an entertaining health and safety perspective and in particular calling for Local Authorities (LAs) to sign up to the Sensible Risk Management Campaign. Several of the other speakers praised the partnership relationship HSE and LAs were developing and cited it as a model that other regulators should follow.
Further information can be obtained from Lacors Website
Gerry Kasprzok, Local Authority Unit
Tel: 01603 828046
Email: gerry.kasprzok@hse.gsi.gov.uk
New DSE pages on the HSE website
As part of the on going improvements to the MSD website, we have updated the DSE pages. The revised pages offer practical advice and guidance on DSE and contain a helpful FAQ section. Additional information is available from http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/index.htm
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