Löfstedt gets to implement his own Report
So often, those who are commissioned by Government to carry out Reviews then publish their Reports which after the short-lived flashbulb of publicity are then quietly shelved, and the authors are forgotten.
Not so Professor Löfstedt, he of the Health & Safety review: because not only has the Coalition seen fit to push even further than he did in the direction of reversing the ‘Health & Safety Culture’: it has now, in the form of the Employment Minister, commissioned the good Professor to review how to implement his own recommendations for reforming health and safety legislation.
The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that they are in the early stages of planning their own report with Löfstedt, and they will publish their terms of reference later in the year. The Employment Minister should see the finished report next year.
Professor Löfstedt has said he is working on the development of the narrow scope of the report and will supply more information to us in September.
The BSC (British Safety Council)’s head of campaigns, Matthew Holder, commented positively as follows: ‘The news that Professor Löfstedt has been asked by DWP to prepare a follow-up report on implementation of his 2011 review recommendations on health and safety legislation is certainly interesting. We were pleased with the evidence-based approach he took to the original review and were in favour of the sensible recommendations he made.’
Could do better
It was November 2011 when Professor Löfstedt published his review of UK health and safety legislation. His report’s findings were that the regulatory framework is generally working effectively, but it suggested that a number of improvements were required. These included legislative reviews that sought to make the duties of employers easier for them to comprehend.
Matthew Holder added: ‘If there are any further recommendations from this report I expect that they will continue to support the framework we have in place to reduce risks and save lives.’
Now that the Government has put its weight behind the massive reduction of needless legislation in the sector, it can only be good news for employers that the instigator of this movement is deeply involved in the follow-up campaign and implementation.
Health and Safety Consultants need not fear being made redundant by these moves: there is such a barrage of legislation that has been fired out over the years by Britain and the EU that issues like construction safety are guaranteed to remain complex and will require expert guidance so that contractors do not unwittingly fall foul of the law.