December 2008

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that the evidence is clear that where businesses have good workforce involvement, they achieve better performance in health and safety and better productivity because staff are motivated and feel engaged in the organisation.

To assist organisations in the changing world of work, the HSE has launched a new set of guidance on consulting and involving the workforce. This includes a completely new good practice guide that draws upon the established legislation and applies this to today’s workplaces through a series of good practice tips and new case studies.

Launched in October at the HSE Worker Involvement Conference, the publications aim to reinvigorate and emphasise the importance of staff participation in managing health and safety issues.

Better guidance for employers

The new good practice guidance ‘Involving your workforce in health and safety: Good practice guidance for all workplaces’ will help employers in their duty to consult and involve their workforce on health and safety matters. The guide concentrates on good practice based on the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (as amended) and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (as amended). The guide is designed to distinguish different types of information with references to the regulations colour coded. It was developed in partnership with key stakeholders in response to the need for better guidance for employers on how to consult. A web-version of the good practice guidance is available at the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/index.htm along with detail on some of the topics (for example safety committees).

Consulting with employees

Two free leaflets were also launched - ‘Involving your workers in health and safety: A guide for small businesses’ aimed mainly at employers in workplaces with fewer than 25 employees and where it is normally practical for employers to consult with employees directly. In addition, another called ‘Consulting employees on health and safety – a brief guide to the law’. This leaflet provides an overview of employers’ duties to consult with their employees or their representatives on health and safety matters, providing a brief overview of the legal requirements.

Finally, the revised legal series ‘Consulting workers on health and safety’ publication gives the law and guidance on the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations (1977) and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations (1996). It explains the relationship between the two sets of regulations and how they affect the employer and their workforce and how in some organisations the employer may need to consult under both sets of regulations. The publication contains revises, and brings up-to-date the guidance given in earlier once separate versions and contains additional information including an overview of the specific requirements to consult employees, or their health and safety representatives on other health and safety legislation which applies to specific industries. The law has not changed.

Worker in involvement

Involvement of the workforce is a principle which applies to every organisation irrespective of size, representation, structure or any other factor, so the HSE publications should apply to the majority of workplaces.

Statistics from HSE’s latest 2007 Fit3 survey show that nine out of ten employers state that their workers are involved in health and safety management through either a formal or an informal system. However, when asked for further information only about four in ten employers have regular meetings with workers, designated health and safety representatives or a health and safety committee. So, whilst the majority of employers report they involve their workers, only a much smaller number appear to have practices that approach those considered good practice by HSE. There is still plenty of room to improve the quality of worker involvement.

The law clearly places duties on those who create the risks but it also requires employers to work co-operatively with their workforce to reduce the toll of harm in the workplace. Most employers, ensure that they are meeting their legal duties, but do welcome guidance and advice.

Consulting and involving the workforce in making work activities safe and healthy should be normal practice because it is the right thing to do and because it works and delivers real benefits. Health and safety matters should be the basis of trust, co-operation and joint problem solving between employers and employees in every workplace. The new guidance will help organisations put in place what is appropriate for their organisation.

Visit: www.hse.gov.uk for more information

August 2008

You may have heard about a pilot scheme recently launched, which involves the building control industry working with the HSE to improve health and safety compliance on small and medium sized building sites.

IMPROVED HEALTH & SAFETY COMPLIANCE
The scheme involves the Luton office of the HSE and building control bodies, both local authorities and approved inspectors, operating across Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

The scheme doesn’t really operate any differently to what we in building control do already, except where things have gone wrong. Where a building control surveyor spots a health and safety infringement, it is always brought to the attention of the builder or owner of the site. This is not just to protect ourselves but also others on the site. We do not make it our job to go looking, but to tell you the truth, there are some things you just can’t miss! If the infringement isn’t corrected - or our advice is just not heeded and the site remains a risk, the surveyor would normally inform the HSE.

Under this pilot scheme, the surveyor could report the matter to the HSE complete with photo’s enabling the HSE to carry out its own assessment and decide whether a site visit is required, or if there is enough evidence to carry out a desk-top prosecution. There will then be feedback mechanisms to the building control body confirming the HSE’s actions.

The statistics speak for themselves, whilst the HSE has just five inspectors at its Luton office, building control bodies have in excess of 300 staff visiting nearly 12,000 sites across the region every week. This significantly increases the odds in favour of catching persistent offenders.

To accompany this, building control bodies will be working with the HSE to provide joint training and distribute information to our customers on health and safety issues. If successful the scheme could be rolled out to other areas.

Some people feel that this could be seen as building control becoming ‘Big Brother’, but with the level of deaths and accidents on site still remaining uncomfortably high, I see it as the building control profession doing its bit to improve the industry we all work in.

I will let you know how we get on!

PART G, HYGIENE
My second piece of news is the recently issued consultation on a new Part G, Hygiene, which it is proposed to rename: ‘Sanitation, Hot Water Safety and Water Efficiency’ to reflect the revised scope of the Approved Document (AD).

The present AD G was last updated in 1992 although a number of non-technical amendments were made in 2000. Since 1992, plumbing and building practice has moved on, standards and legislation have changed and technology has developed. Both industry and the Government agree that the language and references need to be brought up to date, and that a number of other changes are required to reflect current Government policy.

It is proposed that in future, Part G will be split into seven different areas:
 

• G1 Cold Water Services
• G2 Water Efficiency
• G3 Hot Water Services
• G4 WCs and associated facilities
• G5 Bathrooms
• G6 Food Preparation Areas
• G7 Sanitary Appliances
   

For the first time, specific demands are made on water efficiency, bringing the regulations more into line with the Code for Sustainable Homes. The full consultation can be viewed on the CLG website but you will have to be quick to respond as the closing date is 5 August 2008. HSE’s actions.

REMEMBER
 

• The building Control industry and HSE are to work together to improve H&S on small medium sites
• The HSE could carry out desktop prosecutions on those sites where no action is taken to improve obvious infringements
• Changes are proposed to Part G of the Building Regulations including measures to improve water efficiency.