Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsWellbeingOccupational Health

Tories will reform safety laws

by Personnel Today 23 Dec 2009
by Personnel Today 23 Dec 2009

With five months at most to go before a general election, Conservative leader David Cameron has said he will reform the UK’s health and safety laws should his party come to power.


In a speech made in December, Cameron said he wanted to do away with an “all-pervasive rules culture”, and reduce the burden and impact of health and safety legislation on employers in a responsible way.


“Businesses, organisations and individuals operate under the shadow of the worst-case scenario,” he said. “The more vulnerable they feel, the more cautiously they act – and the more stringent their health and safety processes become,” he added.


Health and safety rules had created a “stultifying blanket of bureaucracy, suspicion and fear”, Cameron said.


He pledged the Conservative party would establish new principles about when health and safety legislation was appropriate, and introduce new laws to bring an end excessive litigation.


He also announced that former trade secretary Lord Young would lead a review looking at whether it was possible to extend legal protection for all people “acting in good faith”, especially public service professionals.


The review would also look at how to alleviate some of the health and safety oversight on small, local and voluntary organisations, and whether there is a need for a new Civil Liability Act to define civil liability for negligence within law.


He proposed the Health and Safety at Work Act be amended to ensure the danger of prosecution does not put teachers off taking children on adventurous activities.


The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health described the speech as offering a “sensible safety debate”.


Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

But TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said it was not true that employers were over-zealous in their application of health and safety regulation.


“The reality is exactly the opposite – last year, 246,000 people were injured at work. Neither does the UK have an excess of regulation – there were more than twice as many health and safety regulations and laws 35 years ago than there are now. Today’s safety laws are generally simpler and easier to understand,” he added.

Personnel Today

previous post
One in 10 workers still to take week’s worth of annual leave
next post
Anglia TV faces unfair dismissal claims over alleged age discrimination

You may also like

Ministers loosen fire and rehire proposals in Employment...

10 Jul 2025

£188k tribunal award for director sacked after cardiac...

10 Jul 2025

It’s no secret – parity in the workplace...

10 Jul 2025

Firms’ salary secrecy means ‘they lose out on...

10 Jul 2025

Court of Appeal rules that Ryanair agency pilot...

9 Jul 2025

Teacher recruitment goals ‘lack coherent plan’

9 Jul 2025

Gregg Wallace sacked amid fresh misconduct allegations

9 Jul 2025

Doctors vote for return to strike action

8 Jul 2025

‘Frustrating’ that NHS Plan has overlooked OH, warns...

8 Jul 2025

Four in 10 call centre workers to quit...

8 Jul 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today