The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body of the
United Kingdom with its headquarters in Liverpool, England. It is the body
responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace
health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in
England and Wales and Scotland. Responsibility in Northern Ireland lies
with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. The HSE was created by
the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and has since absorbed earlier
regulatory bodies such as the Factory Inspectorate and the Railway
Inspectorate though the Railway Inspectorate was transferred to the
Office of Rail Regulation in April 2006. The HSE is sponsored by the Department
for Work and Pensions. As part of its work HSE investigates industrial
accidents, small and large, including major incidents such as the explosion
and fire at Buncefield in 2005. Though it formerly reported to the Health and
Safety Commission, on 1 April 2008, the two bodies merged.
Functions The Executive's duties are to:
Assist and encourage persons concerned with matters relevant to the operation
of the objectives of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Make arrangements for and encourage research and publication, training and
information in connection with its work. Make arrangements for securing
government departments, employers, employees, their respective
representative organisations, and other persons are provided with an information
and advisory service and are kept informed of, and adequately advised on
such matters. Propose regulations.
The Executive is further obliged to keep the Secretary of State informed of its
plans and ensure alignment with the policies of the Secretary of State,
giving effect to any directions given to it. The Secretary of State can give
directions to the Executive. On 1 April 2006, the Executive ceased to
have responsibility for railway safety. The Executive is responsible for the
Employment Medical Advisory Service, which operates as part of its Field
Operations Directorate. Structure and responsibilities
Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of health and safety
legislation in shops, offices, and other parts of the service sector.
Agencies belonging to the HSE include = Explosives Inspectorate=
HSE's Explosives Inspectorate enforces the legislation for the classification
and transport of explosives. It licenses manufacturing and larger storage sites.
= The Health and Safety Science Directorate=
Based in Buxton, Derbyshire, the Health and Safety Science Directorate employs
over 350 people including scientists, engineers, psychologists, social
scientists, health professionals and technical specialists.
It was established in 1921 under the Safety in Mines Research Board to carry
out large-scale tests related to mining hazards. Following the formation of the
HSE, in 1975 the facilities became a Safety Engineering Laboratory and an
Explosion and Flame Research Laboratory, operating as part of the Research
Laboratories Service Division of the HSE. In 1995 the HSL was formed,
including the Buxton site and laboratories in Sheffield. In 2004 the
Sheffield activities moved to Buxton, and the University of Sheffield took
over the Sheffield laboratory site. It now operates as an agency carrying
out scientific research and investigations for the HSE, other
government agencies and the private sector.
= HM Inspectorate of Mines= HM Inspectorate of Mines is responsible
for the correct implementation and inspection of safe working procedures
within all UK mine workings. It is based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
= Nuclear Directorate= The Nuclear Directorate was one of the
bodies merged into the Office for Nuclear Regulation on 1 April 2011.
Largely based in Bootle, the Nuclear Directorate had four main functions:
nuclear safety and radioactive waste management of civilian and defence sites
- Nuclear Installations Inspectorate security of civilian nuclear sites and
nuclear transport - The Office for Nuclear Security
safeguarding civilian nuclear material to prevent diversion to weapons - UK
Safeguards Office a nuclear safety research programme
= OSHCR= The HSE currently administrates the
Occupational Safety & Health Consultants Register, a central register of
registered safety consultants within the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The
intention of the HSE is to pass responsibility of operating the register
to the relevant trade & professional bodies once the register is up and
running. Criticism
Some of the criticism of HSE has been that its procedures are inadequate to
protect safety. For example, the public enquiry by Lord Gill into the Stockline
Plastics factory explosion criticised the HSE for "inadequate appreciation of
the risks associated with buried LPG pipework…and a failure properly to carry
out check visits". However, most criticism of the HSE is that their
regulations are over-broad, suffocating, and part of a nanny state. The Daily
Telegraph has claimed that the HSE is part of a "compensation culture," that
it is undemocratic and unaccountable, and that its rules are costing jobs.
However, the HSE denies this, saying that much of the criticism is misplaced
because it relates to matters outside the HSE's remit. The HSE also responded
to criticism by publishing a "Myth of the Month" section on its website
between 2007 and 2010, which it described as "exposing the various myths
about ‘health and safety’". This has become a political issue in the UK. The
Lord Young report, published in October 2010, recommended various reforms aiming
"to free businesses from unnecessary bureaucratic burdens and the fear of
having to pay out unjustified damages claims and legal fees."
Areas of regulation References
External links HSE website
HSE news service website HSL website
Gill Report into the Stockline explosion Young Report "Common Sense, Common
Safety" HSE Podcast to mark centenary of HSL
Catalogue of HSE publications