Pressure on health and safety enforcement


A paper presented to the HSE board earlier this month confirms there is “ongoing pressure” on local authority health and safety enforcement. 


Local councils enforce health and safety for around half the British workforce and in two-thirds of business premises. However, annual returns from 343 (90%) local authorities show the total number of local authority health and safety inspections continues to decline, although the rate of decrease is slowing. 


The figures show that proactive inspections fell by 92%, from 103,800 in 2010-11 to just 8,400 in 2017-18. They dropped to a low of just 3,900 in 2015-16. 


Visits to investigate incidents fell by 61%, from 15,800 in 2010-11 to just 6,100 in 2017-18, while visits to investigate complaints or requests fell by 43% from 25,300 in 2010-11 to 14,300 in 2017-18. 


Numbering 500, there are now less half as many full-time equivalent inspectors as there were in 2010-11, when there were more than 1,000. Meanwhile, enforcement notices have fallen by 62% from 6,780 in 2010-11 to 2,580 in 2017-18.


If the downward trends in local authority enforcement resources and activity continue, says the report, there may come a point at which they would no longer meet the “adequate arrangements for enforcement” duty under section 18 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and set out within the National Local Authority Enforcement Code. 


https://webcommunities.hse.gov.uk/connect.ti/HSEmeetings/view?objectId=684389