Like most workplaces everything is classed as Health & Safety, especially if you look hard enough. The latest amendment to this Act has been firmly pushed in my direction to lead on. Although I believe Health & Safety has an important role to play in it, I believe responsibilty should lay elsewhere. Would love to hear others opinions on this. Thanks

Hi Peter, your first posting here, so welcome to the Forums.

Unfortunately the Safety Industry, as it is becoming an Industry in its own right currently has a vogue for thinking that YOU the OSH professional should be a "leader" on anything that might vaguely impact on the health and wellbeing of the workforce or for that matter anyone else.

I can entirely understand why an employer might think that this new legislation requires the ubiquitous "risk assessment" and might think "Ah, H&S are good at risk assessment, so let's get them involved".

But there is a difference between "involvement" and "taking the lead".

Sound to me predominantly an issue for HR to be leading on - seems from Kate's posting that CIPD agree - so time to say "NO!" and ask the bosses to get HR to do what they are the specialists in?

H&S are often drawn into doing this sort of thing as there is often a limited appetite for managing processes in many organisations; in factory they like to make things; in a school they like to teach pupils; in a big organisations they like to write policies etc.  H&S stand to one side of this and monitor what’s going on and ensure that it complies with what every requirements exist. That is why it gets lumped in with Quality Management and environmental issues. Our job is to sprinkle our magic dust and make everything nice and compliant while the rest of the organisation gets on with the JOB.  Peter is right about risk assessment which started off as a H&S concept but is now used   as a substitute for really thinking about the job. So don’t think; just send to H&S and they sort it out!