Bid to make H&S compliance simpler

The move will help manufacturers to comply with the law and save them time and money, the announcement claimed. The advice given will be backed by insurance. An independent review on which the initiative is based was undertaken by Sarah Anderson who, as part of the launch of the Enterprise Strategy a year ago, was asked to "make recommendations on ways of ensuring firms can place greater reliance on official guidance and thereby reduce the cost of compliance." Publishing its response to the review today, the government said it will now take action including: * piloting a telephone advice service, which provides tailored and "insured advice" to help businesses comply with employment and health and safety law; * removing disclaimers which bring the accuracy of guidance into question and encouraging inspectors to avoid prosecution of "reasonable" businesses. BERR Minister Stephen Carter (pictured), said that in the current economic climate it was more important than ever to help to reduce the time and money businesses spend on compliance with regulation. “Getting guidance right for small businesses frees up precious resources which people need to run their businesses,” he said. “These new plans will give a much needed boost for small firms, giving them clarity and confidence in government advice" Almost half of all businesses used external advice about how to follow regulation, spending at least £1.4 billion a year on such services. Other proposals accepted by the Government include: * a 'quick start' summary for each piece of guidance, setting out essential actions firms must follow to comply with the law. * a central contact point for reporting inconsistent or inaccurate guidance, with an obligation on government to respond and resolve the issues. * actions to broaden the skills of inspectors so that they can provide better advice based on the needs of businesses.