IOSH urges the Government to think again – or put worker protection at risk

20 December 2010

The world’s largest body for health and safety professionals today urged the Government not to opt for “overly simplistic solutions” for protecting people from injury or illness at work.

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) said ministers would risk weakening public health and the national economy if they implemented all recommendations made in a recent Government-commissioned review of health and safety.

Lord Young of Graffham’s review findings – ‘Common Sense, Common Safety’ – were published in October after Prime Minister David Cameron ordered a fresh look at health and safety and the perceived compensation culture.

IOSH welcomed the report as a “long overdue attempt to restore the reputation” of the profession.

But in ‘Getting the Balance Right’ – its response document published today – the Institution says there are problems with proposals made by Lord Young, and that the review has “missed opportunities”.

IOSH wants a re-think of the 'tick-box' assessment and checklist regime proposed by the peer for “low-hazard” workplaces, and more clarity on the definition of “low-hazard”.

There is a lack of clarity, says the Institution, on whether home-workers and the self-employed would enjoy the same standards of protection as other workers.
 
And IOSH wants the Government to introduce clear professional standards for health and safety advisers operating at different levels – whether they work in-house or as consultants.

IOSH is also calling for:

• Safety standards to be maintained in the drive to simplify school trip planning
• School, professional and vocational training curriculums to include balanced risk education
• Councils to get sound advice on health and safety before the decision whether to ban a public event is made
• More clarity on the scope of the proposal to consolidate health and safety regulations
• A clear, accurate way of capturing the full national picture of deaths, injuries and illness at work
• Work-related road deaths, injuries and illness to be included in the reporting regulations
• A proper pragmatic review of how multi-site retailers are inspected
• The HSE’s role to be reviewed – the regulator is facing a 35 per cent cut under the Comprehensive Review, but Lord Young’s proposals would expand its remit
  

At the same time, IOSH believes Lord Young’s review has missed opportunities. The Institution is concerned that the former Government adviser largely ignored the ‘health’ in work-related health and safety.

And IOSH thinks the Government is missing the chance to get “risk thinking” right from the start, by including properly co-ordinated, balanced risk education in schools and in vocational and professional training.

IOSH chief executive Rob Strange said: “We welcome the coalition government’s review, and its scrutiny of what David Cameron describes as the ‘damaging compensation culture’ that has over-shadowed genuine health and safety issues over the last few years. For that alone it marks a turning point.

“But we urge the government not to opt for overly simplistic solutions that compromise standards and leave hard-working people vulnerable. Weaken health and safety, and you risk weakening both public health and the national economy.”

IOSH wants its members to have their say in five key consultations on the review:

January – changes to how Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations operate

Early 2011 – changes to how standards are assessed in large, multi-outlet businesses

March – consolidating health and safety law into a “single set of accessible regulations”

Spring – reform of civil justice, and a new voluntary code of practice to cover adventure activities

IOSH will post the consultation documents and invite members’ comments.