Expected recommendations – Lord Young’s health and safety review
The new government in Britain has appointed Lord Young to review the way health and safety laws are applied. The report, which has already been approved, is due by the end of October 2010. On 3rd October, Lord Young made a speech at the Conservative Party Conference and it foreshadowed a good deal of what his report will contain.
In short, there has been growing concern in the UK, including by the HSE and insurers, about the tendency for people who should know better, to be over-zealous and reactive in the way health and safety rules are interpreted. The HSE itself has been running a “Sensible Risk” campaign. Many examples of “elf ‘n safety gone mad” are myths or overblown tabloid reports, but there are many real examples of over-bureaucratisation and officials exceeding their brief by banning and prohibiting events. The Young report is presented as an attempt to redress the balance and re-introduce common sense.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there has been a reaction by unions, who fear the report will play to popular prejudices and cause a reversal of the gains since the current legislation was introduced. (The UK currently has one of the world’s lowest work accident rates).
Some likely recommendations of the report:
- Control of lawyers using “no win, no fee” advertising.
- Some sort of requirement for health and safety consultants to be qualified.
- Councils who ban events without justification may have to pay compensation.
- Emergency workers and teachers would be freed from rules requiring someone to be blamed for mishaps.
- Removal of red tape for low risk activities, such as teachers arranging school outings.
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