Neal's Notes November 2006

LAUNCH OF "DON'T TAKE THE GAMBLE WITH ASBESTOS" CAMPAIGN

"Don't take a gamble with your life" is the message to maintenance worker from Steve Coldrick, Director of the Health and Safety Executive's Disease Reduction Programme.

These workers, including plumbers, carpenters and builders, account for more than one quarter of the 3,500 asbestos-related cancer deaths each year. To raise their awareness of the dangers of working with asbestos, the Health and Safety Executive is launched its "Don't take the gamble" campaign on 7 September. The campaign also reminds dutyholders, those with responsibility for the repair and maintenance of non-domestic buildings, of their obligations under asbestos law. In particular, dutyholders need to tell those who may work on the building the location of any asbestos.

Please visit the HSE website at the following address to keep yourself up to date. http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos

REVISED WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMIT

The revised Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) for Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) of 0.1mg/m3 over an 8-hour time weighted allowance (TWA) s now in force. Exposure to RCS occurs in many industries and work activities such as stonemasonry, brickmaking, construction and quarrying where stone dust is produced. T o support the new reduced limit HSE has published "Silica Essentials" providing practical guidance on reducing and controlling the risks of silicosis under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (SHH) 2002, please see www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/gseries.htm

Silica Essentials sheets give simple guidance for individual tasks within relevant industries as well as general guidance on topics such a health surveillance and cleaning up dust. HSE have also produced a leaflet, Stone Dust and You (INDG 315) that is freely available through the HSE website, www.hse.gov.uk

On 25 October 2006 the European Social Dialogue on RCS also comes into force. For further information please see //ec.europa.eu/employment_social/social_dialogue/docs/404_20060425_silice_en.pdf

REGULATION SIMPLIFIED AS HSE BECOMES SOLE ELECTRICITY SAFETY WATCHDOG

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to become the sole regulator for all safety issues associated with electricity transmission and distribution, following transfer of part of the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) Engineering Inspectorate.

The move will implement a recommendation made in last year's Hampton report on regulation (see Notes to editors). HSE will become the thematic regulator dealing with both employee and public safety within this sector. Industry stakeholders have already been consulted and agree that a single regulator for safety matters would be advantageous.

Welcoming the move Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, minister for health and safety said, "The transfer shows the continuing commitment to the principles of better regulation set out in last years Hampton report, it ensures that safety remains paramount whilst simplifying matters for industry by ensuring that there will now be only one safety regulator to report incidents or injuries to."

In 2004, the Chancellor asked Philip Hampton, Chairman of J Sainsbury plc, to lead a review into regulatory inspection and enforcement with a view to reducing the administrative cost of regulation to the minimum consistent with maintaining the UK's excellent regulatory outcomes. His report,
'Reducing administrative burdens: Effective inspection and enforcement',
published in March 2005, included recommendations for HSE's role to expand to take in a number of other regulatory bodies, including the Engineering Inspectorate (EI). The report can be viewed at
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/hampton

HSE and DTI have agreed that this recommendation is best achieved by HSE taking on EI's public safety role with respect to the electricity transmission and distribution industry. Other roles will more properly remain with DTI. Initially the transfer will be achieved through an agency agreement; permanent transfer will follow via a Regulatory Reform Order under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill, which is expected to be enacted later this year.

Engineering Inspectors are currently appointed under Section 30 of the Electricity Act 1989 and carry out their duties for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of electricity networks in England and Wales, and for the Scottish Executive in Scotland. They carry out similar enforcement activities for the Northern Ireland Office under an agency agreement.

Inspectors' roles for public safety include enforcement of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002, which set safety standards for electricity companies to help prevent danger to the public from electrical plant and lines. They investigate fatalities and some major injuries to members of the public; handle public complaints about safety matters and carry out annual safety management audits of licensed electricity companies.

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