Health & Safety Update (July 2010)
Coalition Government arrange review of UK Health and Safety
laws
The new Coalition Government recently announced that there was
to be a review of UK Health and Safety laws, led by Lord Young of
Graffham. Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he felt that
the UK was 'saturated' by health and safety laws and said, "The
rise of the compensation culture over the last 10 years is a real
concern, as is the way health and safety rules are sometimes
applied. We need a sensible new approach that makes clear these
laws are intended to protect people, not overwhelm businesses with
red tape. I look forward to receiving Lord Young's recommendations
on how we can best achieve that."
Lord Young, a former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
under Margaret Thatcher, has said he will be providing the Prime
Minister with regular updates as he reviews legislation and
regulations, with a view to ensuring that they are 'proportionate
and not bureaucratic'. The review, primarily aiming to investigate
concerns over the 'application and perception' of UK safety
legislation and how this impacts on 'compensation culture', hopes
to publish its findings in the summer.