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There has been much debate over the government's plans to cut
red tape and in doing so cut back on the number of
health and safety regulations. So there are to be a list of businesses where health and safety inspections are going to be abolished. These are in areas which are considered to be low risk and any company with a bad track record will still be subject to inspections.
What may surprise many people is that the
hospitality industry is an area in which many businesses will no longer require inspections. While this is good in terms of cutting red tape and bureaucracy, as well as making it easier for companies to grow, the hospitality industry is a dangerous one. Clubs, pubs and restaurants use hazardous equipment including ovens, knives and glasses, yet these establishments are deemed to be low risk enough to be exempt from health and safety inspections.
More than 3,000 regulations are to be scrapped under the move which is to come into force in April next year, but opinion is divided as to whether this will ease the burden of paperwork on businesses or put people's lives at risk.
The UK has a relatively good track record in terms of
workplace safety and nobody wants that to change, so it will be in the hands of managers and leaders to ensure
staff work safely. Many times it has been said that a return to common sense health and safety policies have been needed but without the regulations to back them up the ball will lie firmly in the workers' court.
Vince Cable, the business secretary, said: "In these tough times, businesses need to focus all their energies on creating jobs and growth, not being tied up in unnecessary red tape. I've listened to those concerns and we're determined to put common sense back into areas like health and safety, which will reduce costs and fear of burdensome inspections."
