To: Directors of Environmental Health/Chief Environmental Health Officers responsible for health and safety enforcement in Local Authorities

Dear Colleague

Making a Difference – A New Section 18 Standard for Health and Safety Enforcement

To help you meet your duty to make adequate enforcement arrangements under S18 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 a new Standard called “Making a Difference …..” has recently been endorsed by HELA, LACORS, HSE and HSC and came into effect at the start of April 2008.

This new S18 Standard will apply equally to both Local Authorities  and HSE’s Field Operations Directorate  and is an important step forward in the HSE and Local Authority Partnership.  

The new Standard reinforces the need for effective management systems, consistent enforcement, partnership working and sensible risk management.

Although aimed at health and safety managers and practitioners its web-based format makes it accessible to Chief Executives, senior managers and councillors and we encourage everyone with health and safety enforcement responsibilities within your organisation to read it, put it into practice and assess progress against it. The new Section 18 Standard can be accessed via the following web address: http://www.hse.gov.uk/section18/index.htm

Enforcing authorities have three years to comply with the Standard – this will allow supporting information to be developed and also to give time to embed the Standard into your organisation although HELA expects enforcing authorities to start the process of meeting the Standard immediately.

Yours sincerely

Joint Chairs of HELA