Hi Jonny
We have been here before on SEVERAL occasions.
Successive Governments at Westminster have made big announcements about reducing "regulatory burden" and so called "Red Tape".
When it comes to occupational health and safety it seems that most of these Governments haven't bothered to read Section 1(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Now be honest! When did YOU last read Section 1(2) if ever?
So we had e.g. the Professor Lofstedt report under the Coalition Government. He was not the first to say that in general UK H&S legislation is generally fit for purpose and does NOT include measures that increase Red Tape but that organisations have chosen to introduce THEIR so called Blue Tape.
Faced with that rebuttal the Coalition Government still had some targets for OIOO (One In, One Out) which became OITO (One In, Two Out) to reach as regards the concept of a "Regulation".
So, first solution was to redefine without admitting it the concept of "Regulation" to equate with "Code of Regulations".
Then consolidate lots of (Codes of) Regulations into fewer (Codes of) Regulations.
Hey presto by the end of the Coalition Government they could proudly claim to have improved or removed 83% of occupational health and safety "Regulations".
Perhaps the most dramatic change was to consolidate some 50 Codes of Regulations governing underground mining (at a time when there was very little left in the UK) into ONE mega Code of Regulations.
Ergo approximately 49 (Codes of) Regulations "removed" at the stroke of the Minister's pen.
Shame if you happened to be working in underground mining, were used to the framework in place and NOW had to come to terms with a new bible-sized book but getting accustomed to that wouldn't be Red Tape but Blue, so that was fine.
Now unless the Government were to try and repeal Section 1(2) and be likely to lose its working majority then I think that you can assume that LOLER will be left largely untouched.
Working Time Regulations up for grabs partly as they are just about the only Code of Regulations NOT ade under HSWA and therefore not protected by Section 1(2).
DSE Regs probably easily removed in almost entirety.
RIDDOR - who knows what fiddles they will come up with next?
Section 1(2) needs to be read VERY carefully. It DOES allow for "deregulation" if certain conditions are met.
Edited by user 03 October 2025 14:46:16(UTC)
| Reason: Additional text