Binding rules underpin inspection cuts

Shops, offices, pubs and clubs will no longer face health and safety inspections in a radical Government plan to curb red tape and boost British business growth. From April 2013, the Government intends to introduce binding new rules on both the HSE and local authorities, that will exempt hundreds of thousands of businesses from what it calls “burdensome, regular health and safety inspections”. In future, businesses will only face health and safety inspections if they are operating in higher risk areas such as construction, or if they have an incident or a track record of poor performance.

The Government is also proposing to introduce draft legislation in October 2012 aimed at ensuring businesses will only be held liable for civil damages in health and safety cases if they can be shown to have acted negligently. It means that employers who have complied with their health and safety duties will no longer be automatically liable for damages.

In further measures to boost growth and jobs in the economy, the Government is now committing to abolish or substantially reduce at least 3000 business regulations. It will complete the identification of the regulations to be scrapped or overhauled by December 2013.

Business secretary Vince Cable said: “In these tough times, businesses need to focus all their energies on creating jobs and growth, not being tied up in unnecessary red tape…we’re determined to put common sense back into areas like health and safety, which will reduce costs and fear of burdensome inspections.”

But the British Safety Council’s response was: “There is a real danger when health and safety is constantly being characterised as a burden on business and an obstacle to economic growth and job creation. There is clear evidence of the financial and social benefits that well managed, proportionate health and safety brings to both employers and employees.”