Health and Safety Commission concern over safety implications following a 10% drop in local authority inspection rates

HSC press release C039:03 - 31 July 2003

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today are concerned over the growing trend among local authorities to reduce the priority given to health and safety enforcement resulting in a 10% drop in inspection rates.

The reduction, taken from statistics issued under the HELA report today, show that the reduction also means that there are less full time equivalent officers responsible for health and safety than there were five years ago, continuing with a year on year reduction.

12 million people rely on local authorities to protect their health and safety while employed and at work. Countless numbers of the public visiting a range of premises from hotels to supermarkets also depend on the activity of local authorities to ensure their safety. The role of local authorities has never been so important yet the general response from local government is to further reduce the priority it gives to health and safety enforcement.

Allan Davies, Head of the Local Authority Unit for HSE said: "This is a worrying trend and continues for a successive year. Local government must recognise its responsibility for health and safety enforcement and make adequate arrangements to deliver this duty."

"Many local authorities are committed to the communities they serve and officers, undertaking health and safety enforcement, work hard under difficult circumstances generating some excellent results. There is clear evidence that many local authority inspectors are more carefully targeting their work to areas of greatest risk and this must be recognised and commended. However the overall trend is not encouraging"

"The Health and Safety Commission set clear priorities for health and safety and local government has a key role in meeting those targets. Continual under-resourcing must be addressed to provide a consistent approach across the country"

The Commission is currently reviewing the role of local authorities as part of it strategic planning for 2004+ and these statistics increase the potential for health and safety enforcement to be delivered centrally and be removed from local authorities.

There is a well-recognised recruitment crisis in local government particularly in relation to regulatory services. This is directly relevant to environmental health departments, which is where most local authority enforcement officers are drawn.

Allan concludes: "Many authorities have increased the use of agency staff to undertake inspections and are attempting to find innovative ways to maximise effectiveness. These authorities are leading the way but there are many who seem unconcerned about reducing accidents and ill health in the workplace."

Notes to editors

1. There are 410 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales with responsibility for delivering a health and safety enforcement in around 1.2 million premises.

2. The HSE/LA Enforcement Liaison Committee (HELA) was set up in 1975 to ensure consistency in enforcement among local authorities and between local authorities and HSE.

3. The statistics report is based on returns from local authorities. These returns are the main source of information on LA health and safety activity relating to staff, resources, premises, visits, complaints and enforcement, and estimates are made for LAs that do not complete a return.

4. Section 18 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires local authorities to make adequate arrangements to discharge their enforcement duties.

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