Public urged to 'restore sanity' to health and safety rulebook

Date:

27 June 2011

People who have fallen foul of barmy bureaucratic decisions for 'health and safety reasons' are being urged get involved in a root and branch review of regulations.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling, launching the Red Tape Challenge on health and safety regulations, said the Government would act on public views about which laws needed to be scrapped. He called for the public, businesses and the voluntary sector to help restore common sense to the safety rule book.

The Red Tape Challenge gives the public, businesses, charities and volunteer groups the chance to have their say about which regulations should be scrapped, simplified or saved as they are.

A three-week focus on health and safety will get underway on 30 June with the future of around 200 regulations under debate. Ministers will use the views generated to remove unnecessary rules from the statute book. Suggestions made by the public will also be considered by the Löfstedt review of health and safety regulations.

Chris Grayling said:

"This is the opportunity that every beleaguered business leader, incredulous community group or outraged newspaper reader has been waiting for - a chance to directly change the laws underpinning Britain's health and safety culture.

"The Coalition is the first administration in history to make a firm commitment to leaving office with fewer regulations than we inherited when we came to power.

"We have already started sweeping reforms to health and safety, but need the experience and insight of those most affected by red tape to help us root out needless bureaucracy and restore common sense to the heart of the system.

"The purpose of health and safety regulation must be to protect people at work, not interfere unnecessarily. We will listen and we will act on what people have got to say, so it's never been more important for people to make their voice heard."

The regulations subject to public scrutiny fall under four themes:

• general health and safety
• major hazard industries
• higher risk workplaces
• dealing with hazardous chemicals and materials

To have your say visit redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. The Red Tape Challenge was launched by the Prime Minister on 7 April, giving the public a chance to have their say on the more than 21,000 regulations that affect their everyday lives.
2. The first five themes in the spotlight of the Red Tape Challenge campaign are:
   • Retail (in the spotlight from April 7);
   • Hospitality, food and drink (in the spotlight from May 6);
   • Road transportation (in the spotlight from May 19/20);
   • Equalities (in the spotlight from 9 June); and
   • Health and Safety (in the spotlight from 30 June)
3. The campaign will also have six cross cutting themes that affect all businesses and are open throughout the whole of the campaign. The six cross cutting themes are:
   • Employment law;
   • Pensions;
   • Company law;
   • Equalities;
   • Health and Safety; and
   • Environment legislation
4. The Government has established an Independent Review of Health and Safety legislation to make proposals for simplifying the existing raft of health and safety legislation. This review - under the chairmanship of leading risk management specialist Professor Ragnar Löfstedt - is due to make recommendations to ministers by Autumn 2011.
5. The Government's plan for growth is available at: http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_growth.pdf

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