I obatined a copy of Lord Young's Report from the Internet on Friday, and sat down and read it Friday evening... my comments are:
1) I was suprised by the reports contents, as it appears to be little more than a quick desk-top study based almost entirely on conkers bonkers press reports and 'information' that could be taken straight off the internet, with inuendo and assumptions made throughout, with little hard evidence from businesses or their professional bodies presented to provide meaningfull results....
Where businesses actually consulted? There certainly appears little evidence to show for any consultation if this was indeed done?
2) We all knew the Consultants Register was coming... no shock there then, but again... the Professional Bodies in their eagerness to be involved and ultimately 'control' the register... have acted too fast and too furiously.... there are ramifications in this....forget the unqualified for a minute and consider the qualified and highly expereinced, but un-chartered professionals - you know who I mean... those who support the profession from the bottom up.... some of whom may work no doubt for consultant organisations and who now find, as from January, that they may be unemployable in a consultancy role once insurers suddenly decide that if businesses want to remain insured, they can only use a person with CMIOSH or such after their name....
When you consider that most 'consultants' provide information to SME's, a fact recognised in the report it seems, where are in fact most of the lesser mortals assigned... it appears it's OK for these 'not worthy' to be directly employed by larger businesses who can afford to directly employ a health and safety advisor in, for example, manufacturing, logistics, shops, and just about any other business you can think of, but not as a 'Consultant'....
Surely the emphasis of providing qualified advise, is not who it is provided to, but who it is provided by, and to coin a phrase...their qualifications, knowledge, experience and such other qualities.... that provide and establish their competence...!!!
I see big ripples on the pond arising out of this.... and see lots of people (membership paying members of Professional Bodies) who work hard to feed their families day in and day out, by being well trained and experienced consultants (many self employed) and not cowboys, being sent down the swanny.... lets hope the 'Professional Bodies' decide to represent ALL their members interests here dam quick, and not just those at the top of the tree.... or are we seeing the caring institutions becoming less caring, just like other Professional bodies who, experience shows, simply revolve around the Chartered members at the expense, most of the time of their 'less worthy' members... !!!
3) Red tape... this apparently can be totally resolved by;
A) Low risk bussinesses not having to do risk assessments - Low risk is defined as offices and shops in the report... but does not state, for example how big/small, number of persons ect to be considered 'low risk'. would it be Marks and Spencer or Citi Group, or bloggs and co solicitors on the corner and the bakers down the road.... Reports need to justify decisions, not just apply a blanket to it all... as of course that's how accidents happen....!
B) Not having to make RIDDOR Reports unless absence is over 7 days (is that 7 working days or just a week...?) not qualified in the report but I guess, but given the standard of the report His Lordship probably means a week and not 7 working days... but I stand to be corrected...
C) Excluding sole traders and self-employed persons from certain mandatory requirements in respect of their own undertakings... and home working of course....no problem with that, but it rather depends how their undertakings are likely to affect and endanger others really, but the report does not offer much else to enlighten us further....? Perhaps the consultant working at home will now be justified in not be doing a risk assessment for the design he's just produced for high pressure reaction vessel....;)
D) Schools and other similar organisatons being free of incumberances in respect of risk in their normal activities... no problem with this either... (does this include school trips to climb mountains, do white water rafting, potholing, skydiving etc etc...? are these 'normal' school activities or is his Lordshoip thinking of conkers in the playground?...) not qualified with much detail here either really...!
So there... red tape resolved... You know, I was wondering how much his Lordship is being paid by the Government to produce this report, (or is he keen just to collect his £500 a day no questions asked expenses from the Lords for turning up each day....) and to continue in his capacity as adviser to the Government on H&S matters until such time as the reports recommedations etc are reviewed and interpreted by someone else at tax payer expense, all the leg work done, by someone else, or an army of someone elses; introduced, implemented and where needed, as stated in the report, enshrined in law....
As you may have guessed by now, I'm not entirely convinced that Lord Young has done such a great job here... in fact, I think I've seen better reports produced by unqualified consultants, and the recommendations on the whole, like the report itself, seem to be, and please forgive me for saying so..., a bit Del-Boy, ergo, 'so whats so dificult about this elf n safety stuff then', quick and easy fix that will probably end up needing years of further codecils to sort out and exemplify...etc etc etc... Unfortunately it appears that Lord Young is no Lord Roben.... and boy does it show....
Let's hope the Professional Bodies, who I might add appear very pleased with the outcome (no doubt ecstatic at getting their hands on a national register....I can hear the hands being wrung with delight even now).... are able to bring their professional judgement to bear on the report, although I don't think for one moment that Lord Young, and no doubt in the very near future his team of unpaid graduate interns, will offer the opportunity to discuss and evaluate, review and consider....
I only hope 'common sense in health and safety' rears is head somewhere along the line....!!!
Yours... somewhat disappointed....