"Eighty four per cent of health and safety rules will have been scrapped or improved in this Parliament, freeing employers from unnecessary red tape." I didn't spot this gem when it came out from hotair.gov. The long link is here https://www.gov.uk/gover...LF4,35JLC,3ABNC5,BBPHT,1 or try https://www.gov.uk/government/announcements and then search on boosting business. It was released 16th Jan. The spin is going faster than our washing machine at 1800 rpm. Out of touch? Trying to micro manage? No idea what they are doing? Great news as I now have so much time to make more profit after release from 84% of those red tape OSH rules. Oh wait a minute though, I forgot that CDM2015 might just increase my burden by 100% Exits stage left with head in hands sobbing gently. Is there a decent medicine for election fever? p48

Pete, You have selective reading syndrome. It says So, for the rules that may have been improved your investigation of compliance might take just as long, or longer :o) John

I've replaced 'red tape' with red and white tape :o) John

Many, many years ago a Conservative Lord complained about the legal requirement to do annual PAT testing, only to be told that this was more a marketing ploy and that Reg 4 of the Electricity at Work Regulations does not contain any such specific requirement. HSE has already updated its guidance on electrical inspection, testing etc. I doubt that it intends to do it again. Brief given to Professor Lofstedt was to "look into the scope for reducing the burden of health and safety regulation on business, whilst maintaining the progress that has been made in health and safety outcomes. Thereafter every reference to the word "regulations" (even in Loftstedt report) actually means "codes of regulations". He starts his report "The focus of this review has been on the 200 or so regulations...." Since his report effort has been expended on e.g. revoking the Celluloid and Cinematograph Film Act 1922 (Exemptions) Regulations 1980. So that's now 199 or so regulations. Reduce the burden on business? The clue is in the word "Exemptions"? We could have fixed under implementation of the Temporary or Mobile Construction Sites Directive with a very short code of regulations to amend CDM 2007 but that would be one more "regulation", so would fail Government "One In Two Out" requirement. So instead wholesale change and a huge burden on those who intend to comply. Ditto RIDDOR - could not amend. We actually ended up adding an extra regulation AND an extra Schedule! Lofstedt "scope for changing......regulation is severely limited by.....EU law" ...and "many of the requirements that originate from the EU would probably exist anyway and many are contributing to improved health and safety". "The Government supports the recommendations" in Lofstedt report. By 2014 "total number of regulations businesses have to comply with will be reduced by 50%" 6 weeks later - D Cameron "take a lot of fear out of the health and safety monster" ...and "businesses....can grow without feeling they are going to be strangled by red tape and health and safety regulation" ...."You have got to look at the quantity of rules, and we are cutting them back" 2012 Budget - "84% of health and safety regulations will be scrapped or improved. So we consolidate over 40 CODES of regulations covering underground mining into a single mega CODE. That's the 199 regulations down to less than 159. Do we have many less REGULATIONS? Yes, we've got rid of a whole load of codes of regulations which were either never a burden or that industry long since forgot. Tidying up redundant law is a good idea but reducing burden - NO.