HSE & Environment Agency Under Threat
30 September 2010
SHP (Safety & Health Practitioner) has reported that the positions of the HSE and Environment Agency are still to be decided, according to a leaked Cabinet Office document on reform of public bodies.
The coalition government has pledged to slash the number and cost of public bodies primarily, it claims, to increase accountability. But the programme is also designed to cut costs and supports the aims of David Cameron's Big Society plans by encouraging alternative, devolved, or non-state models of service delivery.
This could be a severe blow to Health & Safety; in particular the role the HSE plays in investigating accidents and bringing those at fault to account. Who would marshal this? In addition some organisations will start to let things slide regarding health and safety. The upshot of this will be more likelihood of accidents occurring and in the worst case more deaths and therefore more lives and families affected. We hope that issues like these will be considered as part of the decision making process!