Resist pressure for new health and safety law, EEF urges government
February 27th 2009

EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation has urged government and the HSE to resist pressures for new legal duties on company directors, following a survey which shows an increase in the number of directors taking a leading role in health and safety management.

Under pressure to introduce new duties on company directors, HSE has given employers until 2010 to demonstrate that the current approach works or face a change in the law.

According to EEF's 2008 Health & Safety survey, directors in over 80% of companies are actively involved in managing health and safety. In addition, in the last three years there has been a 40% rise in the number of company boards who monitor health and safety management as part of their Key Performance Indicators.

Steve Pointer, head of health and safety policy at EEF, said the survey shows that the current approach does work.

“This endorses EEF's view that the best way to promote best practice health & safety is to promote good leadership rather than introducing new statutory duties that would lead to a 'box ticking' mentality.

“The law already allows directors or managers to be held to account if their personal actions put someone at risk. Adding specific requirements such as appointment of single director to be charged with managing health & safety could only be counter-productive. It would send a message that fellow directors can forget all about health and safety, which would be disastrous. Health and safety management is effective when everyone works together.”

On the whole companies were positive about their contact with the enforcing authority. Responses to EEF’s survey did not support the popular stereotype of inspectors as unreasonable and difficult to deal with.

The survey did reveal some common concerns about the way in which requirements impact in practice. Around half of businesses believe requirements involve excessive bureaucracy with a similar proportion concerned about the up-front costs involved.

“The HSE has recently done some good work to reduce paperwork requirements and improve communication with small businesses,” added Pointer.

“However, we still see overly-long and complex guidance being produced which means more needs to be done. In particular it is important that local authority regulators, insurers and others who influence the health and safety system join and fully support the HSE to spread this kind of approach across the full range of its work.”

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