Health and Safety system set for changes
Employment Minister Chris Grayling has announced a series of
proposed changes to Britain’s health and safety system.
The current health and safety (H&S) regulations have met
with much controversy from critics who claim they are too concerned
with unnecessary red tape.
Following the planned changes, H&S regulations across the
country will focus on weeding out rogue employers and improving the
safety of sites which pose strong hazard risks.
The changes will see Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
inspections reduced by a third, by cutting out automatic
inspections in low and medium risk industries.
Other proposals included forcing firms which are found to be in
serious breach of H&S regulations to bear the costs racked up
by HSE in putting things right.
Mr Grayling said, "Of course it is right to protect employees in
the workplace, but Britain's health and safety culture is also
stifling business and holding back economic growth.
"The purpose of health and safety regulation is to protect
people at work and rightly so. But we need common sense at the
heart of the system, and these measures will help root out the
needless burden of bureaucracy," he added.