HSE LAUNCH THEIR STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently published their strategy for the next 10 years setting out their mission, vision, values, strategic objectives and themes.

Bearing in mind the fundamental purpose of the HSE the strategy is largely what you would expect from such an organisation and includes commitments to:

“Maintain Great Britain’s record as one of the safest countries to work in”

and

“Continue to provide relevant, timely and clear advice on a range of topics including:

• managing workplace health and safety risks
• enabling the safe and sustainable use of chemicals
• our role as the Building Safety Regulator”

In recent years we have seen the HSE giving greater importance to mental health issues and stress. It is important to note that this will continue to be a focus with the HSE stating:

“Great Britain has one of the lowest rates of fatal and non-fatal work-related injury across Europe. We have seen real progress in how businesses understand and control workplace safety risk. We have well-established standards for safety, recognised and understood by industry. These have helped to reduce death and major injury, particularly in construction and manufacturing.

 This isn’t the same for work-related ill health, as current trends show this is increasing. The most commonly reported causes in Great Britain are now stress, depression, or anxiety.

 We will work to reduce this trend. Using our collective resource to focus on this problem, we will deliver interventions that make a real difference. To have a greater impact on workers’ health, society, and the economy, wider industry and business will need to help too.”

The full strategy can be read at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/assets/docs/the-hse-strategy.pdf

Our specialists can help you with managing work related stress, please speak to your normal PIB Risk management contact or get in touch using [email protected]  if you have any questions