Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Simplification plan
Health and safety legislation is applicable to all businesses, regardless of the nature of the business or type of business. Therefore public sector employers, voluntary organisations and charities all have the same health and safety duties as any private sector employer in the same circumstances.
Correspondingly, HSE’s simplification initiatives will also benefit these employers as well as private sector enterprises. However, HSE is also undertaking some initiatives specifically aimed at helping the public, voluntary and charity sectors.
As part of Sensible Risk Management campaign, HSE is working with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Implementation Review Unit on a package for schools which will help them to focus on the real health and safety risks, and not on unnecessary paperwork. The package will include example risk assessments, good practice examples, and updated web-based guidance and will be launched in November 2008.
In 2005 HSE and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) recognised a need for closer working between the two Inspectorates and their interventions with the police services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since then, HSE and HMIC have sought to gain a better understanding of how the other organisation functions in order to inform any closer working.
Currently, HSE and senior police managers are seeking to improve clarity and understanding around what the Health and Safety at Work etc Act does and does not require of the police and fire and rescue services. This aims to prevent excessive risk aversion and bureaucratic approaches to risk assessment – in line with HSE’s sensible risk approach.
In November 2007, HSE and the Independent Police Complaints Commission agreed arrangements for liaison in investigations where both bodies have an interest. The published agreement will assist with the coordination of enquiries and the effective dispensation of justice.
In the 2007 Plan, HSE committed to considering the value of revising its specific publication for charities and voluntary workers. In the last year, HSE has edited the guidance and agreed to transfer the content to the Charities Safety Group (CSG), so that they can make it freely available on their website to those within the sector.
In addition, HSE has provided CSG with a master copy of the HSE video ‘Health and Safety for Charities and Voluntary Organisations’, so that it can also be made freely available.