Planned HSE reporting raises safety fears 

Health & Safety update 20/05/11

From September 2011, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), will change the way in which accidents are reported.

Currently, dangerous incidents and accidents can be reported over the phone at the HSE Infoline, but from September all reporting will have to be done online.

However, fatal and major incidents will be treated differently and businesses will still be able to report them over the phone.

The planned changes and closure of the Infoline could however greatly increase workplace dangers, according to construction union UCATT.

Whilst UCATT feels that accidents could well be recorded online, this is not the suitable medium for the reporting of dangerous accidents.

Instead of employers reporting accidents, it should be staff members and the general public who do so, the body has said, and, in order for them to be able to do so without fear of being identified, there must be an easily accessible method.

UCATT feels that the closure of the Infoline will put workers off reporting accidents for fear of reprisals or of being traced by an email they send. This in turn could lead to accidents going unreported, creating increasing dangers within the workplace.

Acting General Secretary of UCATT, George Guy, said, "Workers hardly ever see an HSE inspector, unless an accident has occurred. If there are dangerous working practices or a dangerous incident occurs it is essential that workers know how to contact the HSE and know that the information they have supplied will be treated with complete confidence."