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Industrialsafetytalk: Health and Safety Legislation
News Release from: HSE Health and Safety Executive
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 23 September 2004
HSC proposes new accessible channels of
advice
Bill Callaghan, chair of the Health and Safety Commission, has announced proposals from the Health and Safety Executive to provide accessible channels of advice.
Bill Callaghan, chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), has announced proposals from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to provide accessible channels of advice The need for accessible channels of advice was identified in the HSC's Strategy for workplace health and safety, published in February 2004
The consultation that informed the Strategy found that some businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, wanted to comply with health and safety standards but were reluctant to approach the HSE or local authorities for fear of alerting them to their problems and inviting enforcement action.
Speaking at the QMW Public Policy seminar held at London's Queen Mary University, Bill Callaghan said: "In the Strategy we commit ourselves to developing channels of advice and support that can be accessed without the perceived fear of enforcement action.
I can announce reaching the first milestone in this project: today HSE has published a Statement summarising the range of issues we are pursuing and setting out the next stages of the work." The Statement, Providing accessible advice and support, explains: the option of separating the enforcement and advisory functions and the HSE's intention to consider this in greater detail; how the HSE is developing and improving its existing services, particularly where there is a perceived fear of enforcement at the point of delivery; how the HSE will share what it learns about providing accessible guidance with local authorities so that they can continue to develop their respected role as providers of advice; and how the HSE will work with others to develop and improve other channels of advice and guidance.
The HSE will measure the success of these proposals and keep them under review.
The HSE also says it is looking at developing and improving its existing services.
In particular, internet-based services will be improved by, for example, introducing advice forums through 'online communities' dealing with specific issues.
Also, the reach and scope of Infoline, the HSE's public enquiry contact centre, will be extended to become the main portal of communication for those seeking advice and guidance beyond that available from the HSE website.
Other initiatives include a project to test a model for delivering occupational health and safety support and advice on return-to-work issues through innovative partnerships.
The model will explore routes for accessing advice through, for example, websites and third-party problem solvers, and for signposting to more specialist services.
The HSE's Statement on providing accessible advice and support is available via the 'about us' section of the HSE's website.
The Statement fulfils the commitment made in the HSC's Strategy to produce 'proposals for accessible channels of advice and guidance free from the perceived fear of enforcement by September 2004'.
The HSC published its Strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond on 23 February 2004.
The strategy aims to promote a vision of health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society and to achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world.
The strategy is also available via the 'about us' section of the HSE's website.
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