New health and safety contact centre will cut red tape and provide a better service to employers

Citation

(2001), "New health and safety contact centre will cut red tape and provide a better service to employers", Facilities, Vol. 19 No. 11/12. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2001.06919kab.014

New health and safety contact centre will cut red tape and provide a better service to employers

New health and safety contact centre will cut red tape and provide a better service to employersKeywords: Health and safety, Work-related accidents

On Sunday, 1 April 2001, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – in partnership with local authorities – launched a new incident-reporting service which will cover all employers and businesses in the UK. Currently around 210,000 health and safety incidents are reported every year.

The service will operate from a new contact centre, which will:

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  provide employers with an integrated "one-stop shop" for them to contact with details of all reportable work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. This will create a more efficient incident reporting system across the UK;

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  reduce paper work and give employers a choice of method for reporting incidents – by Internet, e-mail, phone, fax or post;

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  publish information on a Web site of reported incidents, broken down by type of incident, geographical region and sector. This information will be available within three months of the centre "going live" and be updated in real time.

Employers are required by law to report all work-related health and safety incidents specified in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).

HSE Director-General Timothy Walker said: "As part of our modern approach to doing business, the centre will provide a more streamlined service to employers. We are trying to ease the administrative burden by providing firms with a choice of how they notify us about work-related health and safety incidents. For those who require it, we will even fill in the paper work for them.

"But there is a trade-off. Employers are required by law to notify us of all reportable incidents under RIDDOR, yet we estimate that only around one half of non-fatal injuries are currently being brought to our attention. The incidence of reporting cases of ill-health is even lower. Clearly, this situation must improve and we are doing everything we can to ensure that there are no excuses."

Mr Walker praised the close working relationship between the HSE and local authorities, which the new centre exemplifies. He said: "Effective health and safety regulation depends upon a successful partnership between HSE and local authorities. All information will be stored on one database, which both will be used by enforcing authorities to decide which incidents warrant further investigation, and will provide them with a complete picture of the national safety performance of employers."

Mr Walker concluded: "The public will also have access to the Web site, which will provide accurate information – as it happens – on when, where and what type of incidents occur."

Further details for the new centre can be found at the Incident Contact Centre, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG, South Wales, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 845 300 99 23; Fax: +44 (0) 845 300 99 24; Web address: www.riddor.gov.uk; E-mail address: riddor@natbrit.com;