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SAFed works in consultation with a wide variety governmental organisations,
including:
Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and Health
and Safety Executive (HSE)
Local Authorities
Legislation
Department for Trade and Industry (dti) -
Standards and Technical Regulations Directorate
Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
The HSC is a body of up to ten people appointed by the Secretary
of State for Work and Pensions after consultation with employers
and employees representatives, local government and other stakeholders.
Its primary function is to make arrangements to secure health,
safety and welfare of people at work and the public, including
proposing new law and standards, conducting research and providing
information and advice. It has a specific duty to maintain the
Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS), which provides advice
on occupational health matters. SAFed attend the HSC open committee
meetings.
The HSE is the executive arm of the HSC. The executive is a body
of three people appointed by the commission, which advises and
assists the HSC in its functions. The HSE support staff total
approximately 4000 including inspectors, policy advisers, technical,
scientific, laboratory staff and medical experts, collectively
known as the HSE.
The HSE, alongside local authorities, enforce the health and safety
legislation. Other than fatal incidents, when under certain circumstances
the police may investigate, the HSE have primacy over inspections
and investigation of workplace incidents, but generally do so
in liaison with the local authority. In the case of incidents
involving fire the Fire Brigade also have powers to investigate.
The HSE provide guidance documents and work with industry to facilitate
best industry practice. SAFed works with the HSE on the publication
of guidance, technical standards and interpretation of safety
advice. For further information on the HSC and HSE, including
guidance and advice documents can be obtained from their website
at www.hse.gov.uk
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Local Authorities
There are over 400 local authorities, who have responsibilities
for enforcing Health and Safety legislation. They work with the
HSE in inspecting premises and investigating workplace incidents
and have similar powers to HSE inspectors. SAFed consults local
authorities and provides advice on all inspection matters.
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Legislation
Health and safety legislation in the UK is made under the power
of various Acts of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW)
Act is the main Act which allows the HSC to bring in new legislation
as appropriate. Some legislation is derived from European Directives
which have been agreed by all European Union (EU) Member States.
SAFed provides input to the consultation process with the HSC
on Regulations before they are approved and passed to Parliament.
Current regulations include:
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999 (SI 1999/3242) (EC Directive 89/391/EEC)
- Safe Use of Work Equipment, Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2306) (EC Directive 89/655/EEC)
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
(SI 1992/2793) (EC Directive 90/269/EEC)
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/3004)
(EC Directive 89/654/EEC)
- Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2966)
(EC Directive 89/656/EEC)
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
(SI 1992/2792) (EC Directive 90/270/EEC)
- Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
(SI 1998/2307)
You can view the regulations full text by clicking on the Statutory
Instrument (SI) number.
HSE also produce Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs) to accompany the
regulations and these have a special legal status. In general compliance
with the ACoP is taken as satisfying the legal responsibilities, although
this is not mandatory providing an equally valid approach to meeting
the requirements can be demonstrated. The Approved Codes of Practice
can be ordered on-line at HSE Books or can be viewed full text at
HSE Direct (please note this is a chargable service).
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Department for Trade and Industry (DTI)
- Standards and Technical Regulations Directorate
DTI regulates consumer issues, including consumer safety and consumer
credit, and commercial matters including competition, and fair trading
as well as aspects of employment law and trade union affairs.
The DTI's Standards and Technical Regulations Directorate (STRD)
works to negotiate technical regulations at European level and implement
them into UK law. Products that comply carry the familiar CE marking,
and cover a vast range of items from common household electrical
goods to heavy industrial machinery. It offers a comprehensive range
of guidance material on the EU Directives and corresponding UK Regulations.
The DTI also works to build a standards and conformity assessment
infrastructure which meets the needs of UK industry, through a range
of policy activities and through its relations on behalf of Government
with the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the United Kingdom
Accreditation Service (UKAS). Together with BSI and the CBI it is
currently working to develop a National Standardisation Strategic
Framework (NSSF). SAFed contributes to this process and is a member
of the UKAS Board. SAFed is also an official BSI distributor of
standards and other relevant documents and material.
Conformity assessment helps companies demonstrate that they work
to recognised international and national standards of industry business
practice and competency and includes activities such as testing,
inspection and certification. The DTI works to ensure that conformity
assessment in the UK is well managed and delivers high standards
of service and competency.
Accreditation is the recognition by an authoritative body that a
conformity assessment body is competent to carry out specific tasks.
It is generally accepted that for an accreditation body to be authoritative
it must have the support of government. UKAS is licensed by DTI
to use and confer the national accreditation marks which symbolise
Government recognition of the accreditation process.
Many statutory services (eg thorough examination of work place equipment)
require the owner or duty holder of equipment to assure the competence
of the service provider. UKAS accreditation provides such an assurance
of the competence, impartiality and integrity of such conformity
assessment bodies. All SAFed full member companies are accredited
to ISO 17020 (inspection bodies) by UKAS.
Through the European Commission DTI contributes to the development
of European policy on the use of conformity assessment and accreditation
and to the international standards (ISO 17000 series). UKAS' involvement
in international groups provides for mutual recognition which further
reduces the need for multiple assessment of suppliers and as a consequence
helps to reduce barriers to trade. DTI therefore recommends the
use of UKAS accredited conformity assessment services wherever this
is an option. Information on UKAS and accredited organisations is
available from the UKAS website.
DTI is committed to reduce by £1 billion the burdens on business
arising from DTI regulations. More details on the DTI's Better Regulation
website.
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