The impact of public-sector spending cuts on health and safety regulation and risks is likely be felt mainly in terms of “doing things differently” rather than any reduction in protection for workers, members of the second keynote panel at the IOSH 2011 conference concluded this morning (15 March).
But it was also pointed out that it is virtually impossible to “cut 35 per cent from somebody’s budget and claim it will be business as usual”.
The effect on the emergency services, in particular, was a hot topic with representatives from both the Police and the Fire Service on the panel. Joe Stewart, director of HR for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said that even though the service is set to lose 1500 police officers and 1500 police staff in the next few years, “health and safety will not be affected by that”.
He explained: “Health and safety has, in our working environment, never been more important, and we need to have systems and procedures in place. No one wants to risk lives – the HSE’s statement on balancing operational risk with public risk is welcome, but we need to sustain that over time. To this end, chief fire officers have to maintain expert advice from health and safety professionals, who can tell us how we can protect the public while maximising the safety of our officers. Organisational arrangements need to be in place, irrespective of financial cutbacks.”
Peter Holland, president of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, agreed that the emergency services have always taken, and will continue to take health and safety “very seriously” but, in light of recent media reports of fire-fighters refusing to rescue stricken people for fear of falling foul of health and safety rules, he acknowledged it is “sometimes impossible to ensure a safe place of work for operational staff”.
Consequently, he pointed out, training and information provision is crucial – particularly if situations like the prosecution of three operational commanders at Warwickshire Fire and Rescue for gross-negligence manslaughter (which Holland deplored as “shocking and disappointing”) are to be avoided. He said: “Right now, in Japan, fire-fighters are battling to reduce radiation risk, so how do you balance health and safety with those duties? Rest assured, the Fire Service will have to deal with these cuts but we will still take health and safety absolutely seriously.”
But panellist Hugh Robertson (pictured) was sceptical of such claims that the cuts will have no significant impact on health and safety. He told delegates: “I don’t agree that the cuts are necessary, nor do I believe that health and safety is a special case, because money put into it is an investment. If we reduce that investment, it will have a significant effect on lives and the ability of employers to support their workers.”
He also criticised the Government’s “hands-off” approach to regulation, pointing out that “we have known since the 19th century that regulation is the only thing that works. Regulation and enforcement mean a level playing field and good employers shouldn’t have to race to the bottom because non-compliant companies are breaking the law. We need the eyes and ears of inspectors in the workplace but these cuts will mean fewer inspectors and inspections.”
Trevor Jennings, of the IOSH Public Services Group, acknowledged there is a need for inspection but what is even more important is to engage with directors and senior managers “to make sure they understand how health and safety fits in with all the organisation’s other activities”.
To this end, he continued, practitioners need to be properly qualified and competent – “all practitioners should aspire to chartered status”, he maintained. They should also keep up their CPD, which is, according to Jennings, “all about making sure you are the best and able to influence senior management by providing sound and sensible advice”.
Derek Allen, executive director of Local Government Regulation, brought the discussion back to the current financial climate by stating that this is “the most severe financial regime I have experienced in my 30 years in local government”. Allen echoed earlier speakers by saying that health and safety – as an area subject to cuts – is no different from any other but he conceded that it is probably under more scrutiny than most other areas, thanks largely to its negative portrayal in the media.
He elaborated: “There has been a lot of unhelpful press, so what we have to do is refocus on the better regulation agenda and make sure that what we do is focused and proportionate. The health and safety record in this country is impressive and to continue that with limited resources we need to focus much more on the non-compliant businesses that are causing problems. We need to focus more on outcomes rather than incomes – that is the way forward.”
Panel chair Justin Webb put the emergency services back under the spotlight by putting a question to Peter Holland and Joe Stewart from a member of the audience, who wanted to know if people would now be less safe as a result of cuts to the services. Holland was adamant that this will not happen, because the services will simply be more innovative about how they save costs and manage resources.
Stewart agreed, explaining that his force has invested in new technology, and makes sure that health and safety professionals work alongside operational staff, helping them carry out dynamic risk assessments and providing the best possible advice.
The last word on this subject went to Hugh Robertson, who emphasised that the reality is that “the Police weren’t throwing away money before, so you can’t cut numbers and then claim you are providing the same service. Support services, in particular, are going to suffer considerably. There is no question there is going to be an effect – we just don’t know the extent yet.”
I attended the conference both as a dlegate and speaker and found this panel discussion to be extremely interesting and thought provoking. I think that everyone made a useful and interesting contribution but was particularly impressed by the comments by Hugh Robertson