Health and safety inspections to be cut

The government has set out plans to cut the number of health and safety inspections by one third.

Employment minister Chris Grayling has announced the cut in the volume of inspections as part of a package of changes to the existing health and safety regime, which is designed to take forward the conclusions of last year’s Young review.

The changes include

• An end to automatic health and safety inspections with inspectors instructed to concentrate their efforts on high risk locations, like major energy facilities, and on rogue employers who are putting the safety of their staff and the public at risk. This measure will cut the number of inspections carried out in the UK by at least a third.
• A ban on "cowboy", unqualified health and safety consultants. A new approved register of qualified consultants will be made available to businesses, excluding those who are untrained or give false advice
• A review of all existing health and safety law with a view to scrapping measures that are not needed and put an unnecessary burden on business. The findings of the review, which will be led by risk managementexpert, Professor Ragnar Lofstedt of King’s College London, will be published in the autumn.

Speaking at a roundtable to launch the event, 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.

"This will help us make Britain a more growth focused, entrepreneurial nation. By reducing unnecessary red tape we can encourage businesses to come and invest in the UK, creating jobs and opportunities when we need them most."