HSC welcomes the establishment of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council

Date:

16th January 2008

Release No:

C001:08

The Chair of the Health and Safety Commission, Judith Hackitt, today welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC) and expressed the Commission's and the Health and Safety Executive's strong interest in working with the new body to address the key issues related to public risk and the role of policy makers and regulators.

Ms Hackitt said, "In recent years 'Elf & Safety' has become a universal excuse for banning many low risk activities and often in situations where there is actually no regulatory requirement at all. We have long promoted a common sense approach to risk and very much look forward to working with the RRAC to identify new ways to take this principle further".

Notes to editors

1. Five Steps to Risk Assessment and example risk assessments can be found on the risk management webpages on the HSE website. The pages are written in everyday language for managers, not health and safety experts and include links to more information and a section for frequently asked questions.
2. The Health and Safety Commission is responsible for health and safety regulation in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive and local government are the enforcing authorities who work in support of the Commission.
3. The HSC has overall responsibility for occupational health and safety regulations in Great Britain. The Commission consists of 10 people nominated by bodies with an interest in workplace health and safety. They are sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP minister for occupational health and safety is Lord McKenzie of Luton.

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