Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Simplification plan
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make up the majority of businesses in the UK. Helping these businesses comply with the legislation is vital in improving health and safety outcomes as well as reducing unnecessary burdens placed on them. However, health and safety hazards in small businesses are not necessarily low risk hazards, and risks must still be managed whatever the size of the enterprise.
HSE is committed to the Government’s “Think Small First” policy, ensuring that all guidance is written with small businesses in mind. HSE has targeted some publications specifically at SMEs to help them to comply with legislative requirements. For example:
HSE has also produced sector specific short publications, designed to help employers working in these sectors manage specific health and safety risks. Examples of publications produced in the last year include:
HSE’s ‘Easier Access to Services’ (EASe) Programme looks at how different audiences come into contact with HSE, such as via HSE’s Infoline or the Incident Contact Centre for notification of RIDDOR incidents. It is focused around the recognition that government services should be designed around customer needs – including SMEs where needs can be different. EASe will look at improving the services themselves as well as the access and signposting to the relevant services. The project aims to re-design services to deliver the objectives from approximately mid 2009.
Many of HSE’s simplification initiatives will particularly benefit SMEs. For example, many of the example risk assessments have been created with small businesses in mind and in partnership with industry representatives. Additionally, initiatives which aim to clarify requirements, for example on the labelling of weights of loads and non-drinking water, will benefit those who do not have in-house health and safety expertise, through simple, easy to understand guidance.
In order to ensure the correct approach for SMEs, HSE is committed to engaging with small businesses on a range of initiatives, including simplification projects. HSE has a Small Business Trade Association Forum (SBTAF), which represents the interests of 52 different trade associations, and HSE engages with this forum through e-consultation and meetings in the development of its simplification initiatives to ensure that they will make a difference to small businesses.
In addition, HSE disseminates completed simplification projects, such as example risk assessments and guidance, to the SBTAF members for them to pass on to their trade association members. This provides a communication channel to appropriate industries, helping to raise awareness and increase its impact.
In March 2008 the Government published its Enterprise Strategy Unlocking the UK’s talent, which sets out proposals designed to minimise the impact of regulations on small firms1. These proposals are:
Where this is not possible either for legal or policy reasons, HSE will seek to work with small firms to design specific approaches for them.
The scope to formally exempt small businesses from health and safety regulation may be limited. However, HSE will look at regulations that are due to be reviewed in the next few years, for example the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, with a view to considering exemptions. Where this is not possible, HSE is fully committed to minimising the impact on small businesses by designing approaches that will clarify requirements and so make complying easier.
In August 2008, BRE published a report on Improving Outcomes in health and safety, which looked at the health and safety regulatory regime, particularly for lower risk small businesses. The report made six recommendations which are designed to: improve health and safety outcomes; save businesses in scope unnecessary administrative and consultancy costs; increase public confidence in health and safety; and target overall inspection resource at workplaces.
HSE has considered carefully this report and recommendations, which recognise the impact that other players in the health and safety system, as well as HSE and its local authority partners, can have in realising improved health and safety outcomes for smaller and low risk businesses. Of the recommendations specifically addressed to HSE, some are already being addressed. Others will be considered through the development and subsequent implementation of HSE’s new strategy.