Now The HSE May Be Axed Following A Government Review Into Its Existence And Necessity

The Tory-led coalition government’s aim of turning the UK’s public services and business culture into that of the USA continues with the attack on employment rights, deregulation of vital public services, and the privatisation or abolition of every public body. This week was the turn of the NHS to be privatised.

Now the Government’s aim of ‘destroying the health and safety culture of this country’ to quote David Cameron; doesn’t stop just at removing workers health and safety protection.

The Health & Safety Executive is next in line for abolition or destruction in being turned into a toothless body as the Tories aim to bring in the American way of dealing with deaths and injuries at work – wait until someone is killed or badly injured, then investigate the workplace concerned.

In America, pro-active monitoring of business activity and workplace environments does not exist, despite calls by their health and safety body, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for them to be introduced.

Here in the UK, the likelihood is that all health and safety enforcement will be handed over to local authorities with strict restrictions on any pro-active inspections of workplaces, at least that is the opinion of many involved in workplace health and safety.

To that end, the Coalition Government's Employment Minister Mark Hoban announced yesterday; a review of the Health and Safety Executive, as part of the Government’s commitment to reform the public sector - (and continued, relentless attack on Health and Safety At Work).

Today (26th April), and in response the CWU’s National Health, Safety & Environment Officer, Dave Joyce issued a letter to branches (LTB272/13) discussing the announcement.

The LTB is reproduced below for the information of all Union Safety Reps:

In April 2011, the Cabinet Office announced that all non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) would undergo a substantive review at least every three years to ensure that their functions remain necessary, and should be delivered independently of the Government.

The review will assess whether there is a continuing need for the HSE’s functions, as well as whether it is complying with the principles of good governance.

An initial review by the Government in 2010 led to the reform of 500 public bodies. Announcing the HSE Triennial Review 2013, which will be conducted in two stages, Mr Hoban said: “In 2010, we acted to close down unnecessary public bodies and ensure that those that remained were fit to deliver public services efficiently and effectively. Routine reviews, such as the one I am launching today, ensure that bodies such as HSE continue to be fit for purpose, and that they are providing the value for money that the taxpayer expects.”

The first stage of the review will identify and examine the key functions of the HSE. It will assess how the functions contribute to the core business of the regulator and its sponsor department the DWP, and whether these functions are still required.

If the conclusion is that the functions are still necessary, the review will then examine whether the HSE’s current constitution remains the best way to perform those functions, or if another delivery method might be more appropriate.

For a body to remain an NDPB it must satisfy at least one of the Government’s three tests:

• Does it perform a technical function that needs external expertise?
• Do its activities require political impartiality? and
• Does it need to act independently to establish facts?

Martin Temple, chair of EEF, will lead the review. The size and profile of the Executive means the review will also be overseen by an independent challenge group, whose job it will be to challenge the findings.

Its members include:

Willy Roe CBE (chair) – non-executive member of the DWP Board;
Paula McDonald CBE – deputy director, public bodies reform, Efficiency and Reform Group, Cabinet Office;  
Neil Carberry – director for employment and skills, Confederation of British Industry;
Hugh Robertson – senior health and safety officer, TUC;
Daniel Goodwin – executive director, finance and policy, Local Government Association.

Responding to the minister’s announcement, the HSE's chair, Judith Hackitt, said:

“It is approaching 40 years since HSE was created, and in that time the organisation has continually adapted to keep pace with changes in industry and to ensure it continues to make a positive contribution to reducing death, injury and illness in the workplace. We welcome the opportunity to work with Martin Temple and to contribute to the review,
which we expect to provide robust and helpful scrutiny of HSE and its responsibilities.”

In a statement IOSH said it is also looking forward to contributing to the review and hoped that it would find a need for the regulator to be given extra resources and added Good health and safety regulation is absolutely essential to saving lives and to economic growth.

"The UK needs an adequately resourced, independent and expert health and safety regulator. HSE can only provide this if given the funding and support it needs from Government.  IOSH certainly expect this review to find the HSE ‘fit for purpose’, but hope that stage two will fully recognise the need for increased resources.”  

The CWU strongly disagrees with any suggestion that the HSE's functions are unnecessary or that it should be closed down as an unnecessary public body or privatised and delivered independently of the public sector. The CWU would certainly agree with IOSH the UK needs an adequately resourced, independent and expert health and safety regulator and that HSE can only provide this if given the funding and support it needs from Government and that it needs increased resources.

However, when the minister talks about value for money for the Taxpayer, the chances of those much needed resources being provided are 'pie in the sky'. CWU will monitor the review and express our strong views when the opportunity comes.

Source: CWU / SHP / Unionsafety

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