Current Trends in Inspection and Enforcement

1. Current Trends in Inspection and Enforcement Neil Hope-Collins Prospect HSE Branch Chair

2. Summary • What do we mean by enforcement? • What are the trends? • What does it all mean? • What has been done in the past • How to develop a plan for the future.

3. What is enforcement? • Formal, Notices and Prosecutions • Just fix it, now, thank you.

4. What have the Trends been?

5. Some of the factors • Leadership within HSE • Training Burden • Introduction of new IT systems • Staffing Numbers • Inspector • Support Staff • Changing ways of working • Withdrawal of direct Inspector contact from some industry sectors • Move away from industry specific operational groups • Changing role of Industry Expertise within HSE • Defence Solicitors (Hatton Traffic Management) • Impact of Revitalising Health and Safety Agenda • Focus on Health Issues, Including Long Latency. • Focus on and starting multi-year interventions with large employers

6. Adverse reactions the organisation has had to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on it • The way IT systems were introduced • Staffing Numbers • Inspector • Support Staff • Withdrawal of direct Inspector contact from some industry sectors • Move away from industry specific operational groups • Impact of Revitalising Health and Safety Agenda • Proliferation of multi-year interventions with large employers • Leadership within HSE

7. HSE’s Definition of Work Related Stress • "The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work."

8. Managing Occupational Mental Health

9. Hazards in detail • Hazard Issue • Role:understanding the organisations role, avoiding role conflict or ambiguity • Demands:workload, ways of working, the work environment • Control:   the ‘say’ a organisation has in the way they do their work • Relationships:+ve working to avoid conflict, tackling unacceptable behaviour Support:  encouragement, resources, from interested parties • Change: effectiveness of organisational change management

10. The Role of Enforcing Authorities • Lessons from other Sectors • Public Expectations • Politicians Expectations • Enforcer/Advisor • Saviour/Whipping boy

11. The Demands on Enforcing Authorities • Quantitative • Volume of work/ Staffing Numbers • Training Burden • Qualitative • Focus on management of Health & Safety using all possible evidence • General Groups • Sectors • Lessons from Social Work

12. The Control Enforcing Authorities have over their work • Definition – to exercise restraint or direction over; hold in check • Individual Inspectors • Courts • Public Pressures on Formal Enforcement • Tripartite approach • Subtle control through restricting resource

13. Relationships between Enforcing Authorities and others • Built on a common understanding of each others Role and Demands • This then can lead to a conversation about what level of support is possible.

14. The Support Enforcing Authorities are given • Resources • A balance with what demands are placed • In the Media • Resist the urge to join the bandwagon • Critical, Challenging • Uncomfortable • Constructive.

15. How changes in enforcing the law are introduced • Change will happen • Historically through imposition • Needs to be through consultation

16. Who is harmed? • Workers • Employers • UK economy (government) • Reputation • Lives

17. Developing the rehabilitation plan • Through consultation and dialogue • Positive Ideas • Lets develop and push a consistent view on • Role • Demands • Control • Lets work out our relationships and the support we can give each other • Lets manage the changes

18. Practical Actions • Buncefield sentencing hearing 16th July • Public consultation on public sector cuts • Lord Young review • MP’s, constituency surgeries • Reclaim the agenda

19. Thank you for your attention