The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to consult on measures to dramatically reduce injury reporting requirements on firms. The move, agreed at the 15 December 2010 HSE board meeting, is in direct response to a recommendation in Lord Young's review of health and safety, which was accepted in its entirety by David Cameron's government. Tory peer Lord Young recommended that RIDDOR be amended 'by extending to seven days the period before an injury or accident needs to be reported.' HSE said: 'In line with commitments made in the government's formal response to the report - HSE will open a three month consultation in January 2011.' However, HSE chair Judith Hackitt said after the meeting the board had 'asked for some additional work to be done prior to the launch of the consultation in January.'
At an open meeting, board members had been highly critical of a paper drafted by HSE on the consultation. The paper's impact assessment on the 'policy objectives and the intended effects' of the proposals said they were: 'To improve the effectiveness of the reporting of workplace accidents by reducing unnecessary burdens on business while still maintaining standards of compliance which should help to contribute towards the overall effectiveness of Great Britain's occupational health and safety system.'
Hazards Campaign coordinator Hilda Palmer said equating improvements with deregulation was one of a number of 'mindbogglingly stupid' statements in the paper. 'HSE's role is not to blindly follow government deregulatory diktats to remove non-existent burdens on business,' she said. 'HSE's role should be to defend safety against damaging deregulatory proposals and to represent the interests of those who would face increased risks at work, not to try and find ways to circumvent basic legal protections required Europe-wide.' European laws stipulate all injuries requiring more than three days off work should be reported.
After the board meeting, HSE chair Judith Hackitt commented: 'Whilst there will be some obvious advantages in reducing the reporting requirements on business, there will be other factors which need to be taken into account.'
