Fourth government report in recent years highlights benefits the HSE brings to workers, says TUC

The TUC has today (Thursday) welcomed the recommendations of the Triennial Review into the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which confirms the important role the HSE plays in reducing injury and ill health caused by work.

This review is the fourth to examine the health and safety system since 2010, following the Young and Loftsedt Reports and the “Red-tape” challenge. All have confirmed the need for a robust health and safety system and have concluded that the Health and Safety at Work Act has stood the test of time. The review today also confirms that the current regulatory regime is fit for purpose.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This is the fourth government-commissioned report in recent years to highlight the benefits that the HSE brings to workers across the UK.

“The past few years have been difficult for the HSE given the cuts to funding and reductions in enforcement activity. We hope that the government will now support the HSE in taking forward the review’s recommendations and give it the resources and political backing it so desperately needs.

“The report is supportive of bringing together unions, employers and government to deal with health and safety issues. We are concerned, however, that the government’s implementation of some of its recommendations could undermine this approach. It is important that unions and employers continue to play an equal role in the way the HSE operates.

“There was huge support from all those who responded to the review for the work of the HSE as a public body. We believe that, given the scale of injury and illness across UK workplaces, the government should not undermine the ability of the HSE to meet that challenge.”

Further information:

The government’s Triennial Review of the HSE is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/triennial-review-of-the-health-and-safety-executive