We asked Chris Grayling MP, the Minister for Employment about the new register during his visit to the Health and Safety Executive's headquarters in Liverpool. Minister why is this register necessary.
Well I think it's all about ensuring that the quality of advice that is available to those who need it, those who have health and safety issues in their workplace they want guidance for, to make sure they have access to quality advice and they know it's quality advice. We all know out there that there are those who perhaps offer a service without necessarily having the expertise to deliver it. What we want to do is make sure that businesses are advised on the basis of what the law actually says rather than what wild rumours sometimes suggest it says.
So how will this work.
Well I hope we've got somewhere now that the business community can turn to as a reference point to say is this person somebody who is experienced, who has the capability of doing the job, who can give me the advice I need, who's going to be good value for money and above all is going to make sure that I only do what I have to do and not what a consultant who is looking to earn as much money as they might be able to is going to try and persuade me to do. What we've got to do is get away from a situation where you have consultants out there who need to advise their clients to do more and more and more just to earn money. What we want is professionals who advise their clients as what they absolutely have to do, what is necessary to preserve the quality of health and safety in their workplace and the reputation of their organisation and not to have them wasting their time and their money chasing after things that just aren't necessary.
So what are the benefits to consultants of joining this register.
Well I think it's about knowing that when you go and approach a company you might work with that you have credentials to offer that they will respect and trust. And if you're a business taking a tough decision about spending and money is never easy to come by and readily available if you are building a small business, then you want to know that what you're spending your money on has got the right level of quality. And so I think the benefit of being on this register is to be able to say to a would be client with authority I can offer you the right advice but you can trust me to offer the right advice.
And what about the benefits to business themselves.
Well my view is that good health and safety is good for business because no business has a real prospect of winning business, of attracting customers if it has a lousy health and safety record. At the same time it's really important that we don't have businesses jumping through hoops they don't need to jump through at a time when money is short and time is tight and so it's about getting it right. I want a health and safety regime that is rooted in common sense. That recognises that it is good for business to look after employees but also recognises it's very bad for business if we pile on bureaucracy after bureaucracy that is just not needed.
Is there a danger because of the economic situation that small businesses might be tempted to sideline health and safety. What would your advice be to them.
Well my advice to any small business thinking about the safety of its employees is if you don't do the right thing it can destroy your business overnight. So this is something you do need to worry about. Your job is to make sure you provide the right kind of environment for your people to work in. Our job is to make sure that the system interferes with what you're doing as little as possible and is really only there to step in if you get something badly wrong.
How will you judge if the register has been a success.
Well I think we'll see it's been a success if we see a reduction in the amount of unnecessary spending by businesses on health and safety reports and guidelines and policies that are just not required in law. If the business community sees health and safety as becoming less of a hassle to them but at the same time we see quality standards maintained then that's what this is all about and what I hope the people on the register will deliver.
Chris Grayling the Minister for Employment thank you very much.
