Health & Safety Update (July 2010)

Coalition Government arrange review of UK Health and Safety laws

The new Coalition Government recently announced that there was to be a review of UK Health and Safety laws, led by Lord Young of Graffham. Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he felt that the UK was 'saturated' by health and safety laws and said, "The rise of the compensation culture over the last 10 years is a real concern, as is the way health and safety rules are sometimes applied. We need a sensible new approach that makes clear these laws are intended to protect people, not overwhelm businesses with red tape. I look forward to receiving Lord Young's recommendations on how we can best achieve that."

Lord Young, a former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under Margaret Thatcher, has said he will be providing the Prime Minister with regular updates as he reviews legislation and regulations, with a view to ensuring that they are 'proportionate and not bureaucratic'. The review, primarily aiming to investigate concerns over the 'application and perception' of UK safety legislation and how this impacts on 'compensation culture', hopes to publish its findings in the summer.