Boosting UK business by easing health and safety burden – 84% of rules scrapped or improved

Eighty four per cent of health and safety rules will have been scrapped or improved in this Parliament, freeing employers from unnecessary red tape.

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2015-01-18

UK Department for Work and Pensions has taken a ‘One in Two Out’ approach to rules, with those covering health and safety halved without compromising or diluting health and protection for workers.

Further savings are forecast for industry by revising electrical product testing guidance, a move which could produce a £30 million windfall in offices across the country.

UK Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) essential work to stop people being injured or made ill at work has helped work related injuries fall by 85% over the past 40 years, making Britain’s workplaces safer than ever before.

Work and Pensions Minister, Lord Freud said:

“Thanks to the hard work of HSE’s staff to simplify regulations and remove unnecessary requirements, businesses have been boosted and workers have never been safer.

“By making it easier for businesses to understand what they need to do on health and safety, they can protect their staff and concentrate on prospering rather than pointless box-ticking.”

Chair of HSE, Judith Hackitt added:

“We have a proud history of worker protection and we continue to work with business and others to ensure that regulations are appropriate and effective.

“As an organisation, we’ve completed a comprehensive review of our stock of legislation, delivered a substantial package of reforms and reduced the regulatory burden – all without compromising or diluting protection for workers.”

source: UK Department for Work and Pensions

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