HSC Annual Report reflects on year of achievement

HSC press release: C033:04 - 15 July 2004

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today published its Annual Report and Accounts for the year 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004.

The Report shows the progress made against published plans contained in the HSC Business Plan 2003-04 and also provides information about how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is managed, health and safety in HSE, output and performance measures and legislative timetables.

A highlight of the year was the publication of HSC's Strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond. This was endorsed by a wide range of stakeholders and launched by the Chair and the (then) Minister of State for Work, Des Browne MP.

HSC Chair Bill Callaghan said: "The evolution of the Strategy involved close working
between the Commission and the Board of HSE and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.

"The Strategy asks employers, employees, trade unions and others to play their role in improving health and safety and so promote our vision, which is to see sensible health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society.

"We are committed to being a good partner because we recognise that this strategy can only be achieved through partnership."

HSE's plans for 2003/04 continued to be centred around four programme-based blocks: Priority Programmes, work in major hazard industries, securing compliance with the law and mandatory activities.

Most published plans and activities in all Programme Blocks were delivered or well progressed. Examples of activity include:

• Almost all milestones were achieved in the Priority Programmes block: a key feature was the focus on partnership working and involvement of key stakeholders;
  
• three of the four targets set for major hazards industries were achieved - there was a shortfall in the target to reduce the number of hydrocarbon releases offshore and an action plan has been drawn up;
  
• three of the five operational Output and Performance Measures showed an above target outturn and the majority of other OPMs exceeded targets;
  
• work continued with the long-term strategic programmes to improve health and safety, including Securing Health Together and related programmes on health work and recovery, developing new ways of working with Government Departments to deliver cross-government goals on health (e.g. the Healthy Workplaces Initiative), and promoting worker involvement through increasing worker consultation in health and safety; and
  
• HSE achieved savings valued at £12.7m for the year, equivalent to 6% of total administrative costs (excluding the Health and Safety Laboratory) of £209m.

Mr Callaghan said: "HSE had a successful year with a number of targets exceeded. The major task in the coming year is now to deliver the Strategy and the Commission is determined to do that in partnership with others."

'The Health and Safety Commission Annual Report and the Health and Safety Commission/Executive Accounts 2003/2004' can be found on HSE's website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/0304

Notes to editors

1. The HSC Annual Report is a statutory document of record. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires HSC to send a report on its functions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Annual Report for 2003/04 reports on the work of the HSC and HSE during the year and is based on the plans contained in the HSC Business Plan 2003-2004. The report also includes information on the management of HSE, health and safety in HSE, an analysis of outputs and performance and the HSE Accounts. Workplace health and safety statistics for 2003/04 will be published in full in the autumn.

2. On 7 June 2000, HSC Chair Bill Callaghan and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott launched the Revitalising Health and Safety initiative. This aims to achieve, by the year 2010, the following national targets: reduce the incidence of working days lost from work-related injury and ill-health by 30 per cent; reduce the incidence of people suffering from work-related ill-health by 20 per cent; and reduce the rate of fatal and major injury accidents by 10 per cent. There is an additional target of achieving half of each improvement by the year 2004.

3. HSC has identified eight priority areas - major hazards and worst performing sectors of industry - where improvement is most needed to meet the targets. These are: construction; agriculture; the health services; stress; musculoskeletal disorders; falls from heights; slips and trips; and workplace transport. 'Government setting an example' is an additional Programme, announced in May 2003.

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