Responses to the Lord Young report
The Lord Young report was published on 15 October 2010. The 58
page report reviews the operation of health and safety laws and the
growth of the compensation culture, and puts together a summary of
recommendations touching on many areas within health and safety,
including:
- low hazard workplaces
- local authorities- the banning of events based on health and
safety grounds
- health and safety legislation
- amendments to RIDDOR.
Below is a round-up of responses to the report, from some of the
industry's key bodies.
HSE
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) welcomed the publication of
Lord Young's report. HSE has already been working with others to
develop responses to two of the recommendations:
- a 20-minute online risk assessment for offices, with other web
tools for similarly low-risk workplaces to follow
- a new Occupational Safety Consultants Register (OSCR), which
will be set up in January 2011.
TUC
The TUC expressed
disappointment at the outcome of Lord Young's review of health and
safety. They are concerned that there are no proposals to reduce
workplace death, injuries and illness.
RoSPA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is urging the
Government to stay focused on tackling injuries and ill health
given the burden that these place on individuals, their employers,
the insurance industry and, most of all, the state.
RoSPA agrees with Lord Young's overriding message that staying safe
should be made as simple as possible, and is pleased that the
report does not recommend a wholesale rewriting of health and
safety law, and focuses, rather, on how the law should be applied
and communicated.
IOSH
The review could mark a 'turning point' for health and safety in
the UK, said IOSH. They broadly welcomed Lord Young's
recommendations, which include a clampdown on 'absurd' applications
of health and safety legislation and measures to make it easier for
teachers to organise school trips.
UCATT
Construction union UCATT have warned that the Young Review must not
act as a forerunner to further Government attacks on safety
legislation.
The General Secretary of UCATT said, "This report was a waste of
time and money. Lord Young has failed to grasp why safety
legislation is so vital in dangerous industries such as
construction. If he had, he would be demanding greater resources to
protect workers and to tighten existing legislation."
IOD
The Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Institute of Directors said,
"The IoD is encouraged by Lord Young's approach and calls on the
Government to look at deregulation in that other critical area of
over-regulation – employment law."
British Safety Industry
Federation
The British Safety
Industry Federation (BSIF) welcomes the Lord Young review of health
and safety.
The BSIF Chief Executive said, "The BSIF is very supportive of
this report and its common sense approach will help to overcome
some of the problems currently in the marketplace. We note there is
reference to the consolidation of health and safety regulations
which we fully support as long as it leads to the strengthening of
existing legislation and does not in any way weaken it."