HSE charge plans draw criticism

Health & Safety update 14/10/2011

Responses to the consultation being carried out by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) on plans to recover costs from businesses and organisations that break health and safety law have been shown some very unfavourable sentiment.

The consultation on the plans ends today (Friday, 14 October), but some preliminary responses have highlighted a number of problems businesses may have with the plans, including that they could cause difficult conflicts of interest.

Peter Hall, director of risk management for SGP Property & Facilities Management, said that matters of the regulation of the HSE were causing concern.

"Who's going to regulate the HSE? Will we now be obliged to follow an inspector's requirement?" he said, at the recent Total Workplace Management exhibition. "At the moment, the law only requires that we take 'reasonable and practical' measures. As long as you've done that, there's room for discussion."

He added, "We need to know – is the HSE a regulatory body, the policeman of the industry, or just a consultancy following the same rules that we do?"

The proposals for the fees included charging some £133 per hour for HSE site visits, if there has been a 'material breach' of the law. Further specialist support would then incur further charges.

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