Strategy of the Small Business Trade Association Forum (SBTAF)

Purpose

• The SBTAF consists of Trade Associations who represent primarily small and medium enterprises and is sponsored by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
• Membership is open to all such Trade Associations and provides an excellent opportunity to access and share information with other organisations, industries and sectors facing similar issues
• The SBTAF provides a two way mechanism for the HSE to engage with the SME sector, and vice versa

Objectives

• HSE to raise awareness and communicate information regarding health and safety issues facing SMEs across many diverse industry sectors
• SBTAF to influence health & safety policy nationally and internationally through participation, communication and leadership
• SBTAF to raise awareness and communicate information regarding health & safety issues facing their specific Trade Association members, but not relevant to all members of the Forum or common only to SMEs

Strategic Goals

• To align with HSEs strategy, “The Health & Safety of GB/Be part of the solution”, so that the Forum helps adapt and customise approaches to help SMEs in different sectors comply with their health & safety obligations
• To acknowledge that national legislation and its implementation has been and continues to be influenced by the EU, and “to take account of wider issues that impact on health and safety as part of the continuing drive to improve Great Britain’s health and safety performance”

Delivery

• By enabling members to participate actively, both physically and virtually, and to feel empowered to raise issues of concern with HSE as well as responding to HSE consultations
• To employ multiple mechanisms to raise attention to actions and issues that may impact on SME businesses
• To engage external stakeholders and Other Government Departments (ODGs) to improve Small Business clarity of the health & safety regulatory framework

This document has been drafted with acknowledgement that members are each constrained by their own organisation’s priorities and resources, but believe that each are still able to make a valuable contribution to the best of their means.