HSE nears critical point as further cuts are proposed

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is facing its biggest-ever crisis after being earmarked for cuts over the next three years.

The Department for Work and Pensions is proposing a real-terms reduction of 5% in the HSE’s budget in each financial year from 2008/09 to 2010/11. HSE has already faced cutbacks over the past five years, and has lost nearly 15% of its workforce since Labour came to power in 1997. The result has been fewer investigations and prosecutions – in the past four years, the number of inspections fell by 25% and prosecutions by 49%. Given the lack of enforcement, it is no surprise that workplace deaths rose last year.

The government argues that more administrative cuts can be made, but the HSE unions Prospect and PCS point out that the organisations is already low on office staff. The HSE’s activities are very labour-intensive – inspectors cannot be replaced with computers – and the lack of administrative staff has left inspectors with more paperwork and less time to spend in the field.

With a decision on the HSE’s funding expected this month, the TUC is calling on unions to lobby both the government and individual MPs – not least by urging them to back Early Day Motion 1320, brought by John McDonnell MP, which is calling for more resources to be made available to the HSE.