Thousands of businesses will no longer have to undergo council health and safety inspections, as reported in today’s EN for Business Magazine online.
Tens of thousands of businesses will no longer have to undergo council safety checks thanks to a new initiative by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The HSE has banned local councils from unnecessary inspections which are not justified on a risk basis and its statutory National Enforcement Code for local authorities will instead target companies in specified sectors.
Checks will continue on poor performering firms and at sites where there are higher risk activities, such as cooling towers, where life-threatening Legionella bacteria can develop, and buried LPG gas pipes, which can create an explosion if corroded.
Mark Hoban, minister for employment Mark, said,
“We need health and safety that protects people where there are real risks but doesn’t stifle businesses.
“There are too many examples of local councils imposing unnecessary burdens by inspecting low risk businesses. This new code should put a stop to this by putting common sense back into the system.”
If low risk businesses believe they are being unreasonably targeted by local authorities, they will be able to complain to an independent panel, which will investigate and issue a public judgement.
The Federation of Small Businesses welcomed the code.
Mary Boughton, the chairwoman of its health and safety committee, said, “The FSB supports the principles behind the new local authority enforcement code for health and safety at work.
“We believe that it is important to ensure that all local authority health and safety inspections are consistently risk based and proportionate to ensure that low-risk, compliant businesses are able to concentrate on growth.”
By Kirsty Hewitt – EN for Business
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