2. The health and safety inspection and enforcement regime



Key changes and developments since last year



• the Gangmasters Labour and Abuse Authority (GLAA) published its first annual report in May 2018;


• a review of building regulations and fire safety, commissioned by the government in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, has recommended a new joint competent authority (JCA);


• a submission by academics to a parliamentary select committee inquiry into deregulation called for an end to initiatives including the “growth duty”;


• the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought in a new procedure to deal with disputes under its cost recovery scheme Fee for Intervention (FFI) from September 2017;


• the latest HSE enforcement statistics for 2016-17 show a large annual increase in the total amount of fines handed down for health and safety offences, rising from £38.8 million in 2015-16 to £69.9 million in 2016-17, the first full year under the new guidelines;


• the police-led investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire is considering criminal charges including manslaughter and corporate manslaughter.