Working at Height regs given thumbs up by HSE

HSE ruled "no compelling" evidence for a shake-up and blamed confusion over the laws on poor operator understanding. The recommendations came in response to the Lofstedt report, an independent inquiry, which asked for WAH to be reviewed to ensure guidance wasn't encouraging gold-plating. A mandate to the HSE board responded: "Where problems remain with the application of WAHR, they arise from misinterpretation of the requirements of the regulations, rather than from the regulations themselves." The report concluded: "HSE's review found no compelling evidence to support regulatory change." Insurers and contractors were also blamed for distorting WAH regulations in order to protect themselves from legal action. HSE vowed to hit back with an expanded awareness campaign on WAH. Target measures include simplified guidance on how to comply with the regulations, which require employers to plan and supervise any task to be carried out at height. Guidance will include template risk assessments for performing tasks at low heights with the use of ladders or stepladders. The Working at Height regulations were launched in 2005 and controversially removed the two metre rule. The move has generated needless bureaucracy and hinders general maintenance tasks at low heights, according to critics. But, HSE said, workplaces were safer than ever thanks to the regulations, citing a reduction in fatal falls of 25% since 2005. The Lofstedt report was published in November 2011 with a series of recommendations aiming at reducing overly complex health and safety regulations and guidance. The report raised concerns that many managers had a basic lack of understanding over WAH