LEAVING THE EU HOW DOES THIS AFFECT HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS?

The UK ceased being a member of the European Union on 1^st February 2020 and has now entered a transition period due to run until 31^st December 2020. So what does this mean for your health and safety responsibilities?

While we are in the transition period the rules and regulations that cover health and safety will continue to apply and HSE have stated that “your duty to manage risk in the workplace will not change”.

For those manufacturing, importing and exporting chemicals there are some changes when it comes to matters such as the assessment, registration and authorisation of chemicals and substances. The HSE state “HSE is not able to act as a ‘leading authority’ to conduct certain assessments under the Plant Protection Products, Biocides and REACH regulations. We will work with affected businesses to minimise disruption and delay to any ongoing assessments”.

Further health and safety updates and information regarding specific issues such as chemical regulation can be found on the HSE’s website at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/brexit/index.htm

Following British, European and International standards can also be an important part of meeting your regulatory requirements. The British Standards Institution (BSI) have stated that “BSI’s membership of CEN and CENELEC (the European Standardization Committees) continues as normal with all its obligations and rights” and “BSI’s membership of the international standards organizations ISO and IEC is unaffected by the UK’s exit from the EU”. A statement by BSI’s Director of Standards, Scott Steedman can be found at: https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/about-bsi/uk-national-standards-body/standards-policy-on-the-uk-leaving-the-eu/??&utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SM-STAN-BEV-NSB-brexit-2002

General information on the transition period can be found on the Gov.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/transition