BSC awaits action plan following BRE Report
18 August 2008
“The British Safety Council (BSC) noted the important issues addressed by the Better Regulation Executive in its review of the impact of health and safety on small low risk businesses and awaits with interest the detail of how the Government and the regulators propose to take the recommendations forward.” stated Brian Nimick, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council.
Nimick’s comments were in response to the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) review, Improving Outcomes from Health and Safety, which was released in August 2008. The report recommends a number of measures designed to make it easier for businesses to comply with health and safety rules, while reducing injury and ill-health and increasing public confidence in the UK’s health and safety regime as a whole.
“The BSC is committed to working with Government and business to help reduce unnecessary burdens for low risk smaller businesses while reducing injury and ill-health.” Continued Mr Nimick, “From our perspective, many of the issues addressed in this Review, have already been the subject of high-level discussions. These discussions have involved the Government, businesses, trade unions and health and safety bodies, such as the BSC. In many instances work is already underway to help tackle them. While the review focused on potential savings that the recommended improvements could bring, we must not lose sight of the unacceptable and wholly avoidable costs to society, business and the individual from work-related ill-health and injury.” Nimick claimed
The BSC is holding a conference on 10 October 2008 for small business to identify how we can ensure they get expert, competent and proportionate advice on health and safety that they need. It will also explore the role that accreditation of health and safety practitioners has to play in helping to achieve that goal. The outcomes from this conference will be used by the BSC to help inform the Government and regulatory bodies for health and safety in their work to take the recommendations of the BRE report forward.