Consultation launched on workplace injury reporting changes
16/08/2012
A 12-week consultation into new proposals to simplify the reporting of workplace injuries, industrial disease and dangerous incidents has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive.
The consultation is examining proposals put forward in response to the Lofstedt Review in November last year, which suggested that ambiguity over requirements in relation to the reporting of such incidents needed to be resolved.
Under the plans, self-employed people would no longer need to report injury or illness to themselves, while duties for employers to reporting dangerous occurrences outside high-risk sectors and report most occupational diseases would be removed.
The consultation was launched at the start of August and is expected to run until October 28th, with proposals set to come into force in 2013.
Irwin Mitchell’s specialist workplace injury team, which acts for people who have suffered serious injury and illness as a result of accidents and exposure to dangerous materials at work, said it was vital that care was taken with the changes.
Sally Rissbrook, a lawyer who specialises in accident at work claims, said: “We hope that this consultation is carried out carefully, as it must not be forgotten that health and safety reporting plays a key role in helping to identify trends and create a comprehensive picture of how employers are performing in this area.
“We have said previously that common sense must prevail and, even if changes to reporting are made, it is vital that they do not have a long-term impact on the information which can be gathered on work accidents and other dangerous situations.”
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