Susan's Legal Bits

In November Susan was interested in...

...common sense health and safety

Hello all,

This month we have had the official publication of Lord Young’s report following his review of the state of Health and Safety in the UK. Granted parts of this review were leaked back in mid October but... for someone like me, the official release is much more exciting because - as you know – I feel naughty if I’m not playing by the rules!

Lord Young was asked to do this review by the Conservative party prior to the coalition government being formed - his report is entitled ‘Common Sense, Common Safety’ which immediately engages me.

A few of the key recommendations brought a smile to my face, and the breath of fresh air it breathes as it tackles practicalities – real life – is so very very welcome.

To give an example of a particular area that impressed me was when Lord Young said that the public should be able to carry out good deeds (such as clearing snow or administering first aid) without fear of being sued – well said say I as I know my Dad has refused to do the path outside his home for a good few winters now because of the possibility of being sued by a pedestrian if they slipped on an area he had tried to clear (this stance in favour over my Mum and her struggles to get out of the front gate each day I might add!!).

Another recommendation is for a voluntary accreditation scheme to be introduced which, to me, makes complete sense considering all the H&S trainers and consultants out there charging high fees for their advice to businesses and, although this may be controversial depending on what side you come down on – the report also says that personal injury law businesses must reform or be reformed.

All in all the report makes interesting reading. There may be some changes to law still to come and almost certainly changes to HSE guidelines but I do believe that your protection whilst at work will not be compromised (as always if you have any concerns or questions and you are an umbrella company operative please never hesitate to get in touch with me direct).

I’m looking forward to doing a Christmas message next month – if you have any interesting topics you would like me to write about please drop me a line – if not you may get a 500 word piece on my opinions regarding real versus fake trees and whether the strawberry creams in a tin of roses should be left till last or not!

Of course this is not something to spend nights awake worrying about... leave it to us to monitor and be assured there will be a while to go yet before we get a sniff of any absolute change.

Keep safe

All comments provided on my blog are for informational purposes only. My thoughts and opinions are my own with agreement from my employer as being suitable for sharing with the wider world. Any advice, or writing that might be taken as advice, should not be deemed in any way as professional Legal advice and are only the musings of a HR practioner whose sole aim is to help where she can.