June: “However beautiful the strategy you should occasionally look at the results”
June 25th 2009

The HSE’s much anticipated new strategy Be part of the solution was launched this month and there are some welcome advances for health and safety in Great Britain (Full story pages 12&13.) The announcement that HSE guidance is to become available free of charge, the launch of a more user friendly website and the message that, though it’s the regulator of health and safety, provided you are trying to do the right thing the HSE is there to guide rather than condemn you, is all good news for businesses.

The crux of the strategy is that the HSE cannot advance health and safety performance in Great Britain alone, thus the simultaneous launch of a campaign urging businesses and individuals to sign up to a health and safety pledge. But the strategy’s absence of measurable targets and the voluntary nature of this pledge raise questions as to how much the strategy will achieve. As Winston Churchill said “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results,” and given that the full details of how the HSE is going to deliver its part of the strategy are yet to be set out, this is difficult to gauge. What is clear is that the scene has been set for a new approach to health and safety and it is one in which the responsibility for delivering results may lie as much with business as it does with the regulator.

A special Breathing Safely feature this month examines the potential shortfalls of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) Systems, a subject about which the HSE is keen to hear your opinions and experiences. See the full story page on pages 24 and 25 and, if it’s an issue that affects your workplace, don’t forget to give your feedback as this could be your first chance to be part of the solution.

Georgina Bisby

Editor

Health & Safety Matters

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