HSE Inspection Cuts Announced
Reports that The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is planning to cut the number of unannounced workplace inspections by up to a third doesn’t give firms the excuse to cut back on their commitments to workplace safety.
That’s the view of Michael Slade, managing director of Staffordshire-based Health and Safety specialists Bibby Consulting & Support. Slade believes that many firms are already at risk of putting profit before safety in a bid to survive the economic downturn.
Whilst the phenomenon known as ‘trading safety for profit’ may not yet be endemic, Michael fears that more businesses may start to take dangerous shortcuts to save money, thinking they are now more likely to get away with it.
“Ironically this is almost always a false economy,” he says. “Often safety systems and processes are closely linked with efficiency and when businesses start cutting corners with safety, there are likely to be increased costs in other areas.
“These additional costs could be incurred through increased time lost through injury or illness and damage to equipment, goods or the workplace itself.”
Michael goes on to warn business leaders that when something does go wrong, there is evidence that fines imposed by the courts are becoming increasingly punitive.
“The increasing prosecutions of individuals for breaching Health and Safety legislation should provide further ‘food for thought’ for senior managers as any changes to working practice that might be considered to represent trading safety for profit,” he continues.
“In addition to Health and Safety Offences individuals can also be prosecuted personally for gross negligence manslaughter /culpable homicide. Prosecutions against individuals are on the increase and will continue to be taken where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so.”
The comments are being made in the wake of revelations by the BBC that the HSE - which is facing a 35 per cent cut in its government grant - plans to withdraw inspections from entire sectors of industry. In a leaked document the HSE admits that while some sectors, including the nuclear and chemical industries, will be exempt others considered a ‘significant risk’ will face cuts.
HSE inspectors carry out thousands of visits to business premises each year and the unannounced ‘knock on the door’ has been widely credited with helping to prevent accidents and reduce the number of workplace deaths to an all-time low.
According to the BBC the move has been widely criticised as any reduction in inspections could have a detrimental impact on worker safety and may lead to deregulation of many workplaces.
One area of industry traditionally associated with high accident rates is the materials handling sector. Although huge advances have been made in recent years to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries in warehouses, construction sites and other environments where regular lifting occurs, there is now a fear that the trend may be reversed.
Ken Stoll, Health and Safety Manager at Briggs Equipment, a leading supplier of forklift trucks and associated equipment says he has seen cases where short-sighted firms have sacrificed safety for short-term savings.
“Adequate maintenance, along with appropriate driver training, is an essential part of effective health and safety procedures,” he explains.
“Sadly we have dealt with companies that have cut back in these areas, only to find it has cost them dearly further down the line.
“There is no doubt in my mind that making these cuts is a false economy which can have dire consequences for the companies concerned and employees.”
Added Michael Slade: “Sadly, incidents where people are injured, or even killed as a result of health and safety cutbacks could become more common, especially if companies think there is less chance of being caught out during unannounced HSE inspections.
“Other health and safety professionals, including ourselves, now face a new challenge in convincing business owners that maintaining and improving their health and safety standards goes well beyond meeting their legal and moral obligations – it has a direct impact on their bottom line.”
Meanwhile the HSE says that no final decisions have yet been made on how to cut costs but, regardless of the outcome of consultations with its partners, businesses cannot afford complacency when it comes to health and safety issues.
