What we learned from the Health and Safety Executive’s new business plan
The HSE Executive Board met recently to approve the organisation’s business plan for 2020-2021. We’ve summarised below the key points.
The business plan brings together the key actions and deliverables for the HSE. These are grouped into five themes:
- Lead and engage with others to improve workplace health and safety
- Provide an effective regulatory framework
- Secure effective management and control of risk
- Reduce the likelihood of low frequency, high-impact catastrophic incidents
- Enable improvement through efficient and effective delivery
The HSE has also been asked to establish a new organisation called the Building Safety Regulator whose role will be to oversee the design construction and occupation of high-risk buildings. This is being done as a response to the Grenfell Tower fire.
The HSE is planning to conduct around 15,000 proactive inspections in 2020-2021. The areas and sectors of interest include agriculture, construction, waste and recycling, fairgrounds, woodworking, and welding. It should be noted that HSE inspectors can visit unannounced.
Within construction, HSE inspectors will be focusing on small and medium sized businesses carrying out refurbishment work. They will also check that principal designers appointed under the CDM Regulations 2015 are carrying out their duties correctly.