The Forum of Private Business has described changes agreed to workplace health as a landmark moment for SMEs and a long-awaited victory for common sense.
The organisation says the removal of strict liability for employers, finally agreed by the Lords last week, not only means health and safety becomes a less burdensome task for employers, but should help make workplaces across the country safer.
Removal of strict liability means businesses cannot be held responsible for accidents that are either not their fault, or unavoidable. It said the new focus on making employees more aware of and responsible for their own actions was something its own research had shown strong support for from small business owners.
The new measures had been due to come into being on 6 April as part of the common commencement date (CCD), but was held up by the House of Lords which asked MPs to reconsider the changes, part of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. But Parliament rejected these calls, and last Tuesday the Lords finally agreed the measures, which will now take effect on the next CCD, 1 October.
“This is a deregulatory measure which means as long as an employer takes reasonable steps on H&S then they shouldn’t be subject to prosecution for things they couldn’t possibly have predicted or prevented,” said the Forum’s head of policy, Alex Jackman.
“It’s a fact of life that accidents, unfortunately, sometimes do just happen with nothing that can be done to prevent them. This new approach to H&S goes a long way to recognising this.
“For too long the entire onus has been on the employer as part of a blame-game approach that has cost business millions, and has also tarnished people’s view of what’s a very serious and important subject.
“People have lost faith in health and safety, with organisations such as the Health and Safety Executive pilloried in the media, but along the way that’s dangerously undermined the issue in the eyes of the nation.
“We hope this new approach can help rebuild and restore faith and trust in workplace health and safety, while at the same time freeing businesses to get on with trading during difficult economic times.”
www.fpb.org/healtandsafety.