The Government has published the results of the latest review of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which was led by Martin Temple.
The review has concluded that the functions performed by HSE are still required, and that it should be retained as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB).
The TUC has welcomed the review and the recognition of 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, say the TUC, and have concluded that the Health and Safety at Work Act has stood the test of time. The latest review 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.
“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.”
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