Proactive inspection cuts

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) set out in its March 2015 report, A final progress report on implementation of health and safety reforms, that the number of proactive inspections carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has fallen from 33,000 in 2010-11 to 22,000 planned in 2014-15.

Proactive inspections are no longer likely in: agriculture, quarries and health and social care. The DWP explained that the reason for withdrawing unannounced inspections from these sectors is because they are “unlikely to be effective” at maintaining health and safety standards.

Proactive inspections have been abolished altogether in the following sectors, described by the DWP as “low risk”: textiles; clothing; footwear; light engineering; electrical engineering; the entire transport sector (including air, road, haulage and docks); local authority-administered education; electricity generation; and postal and courier services.

Local authorities have also drastically reduced the number of proactive inspections. According to the April 2014 TUC report: Toxic, corrosive and hazardous — The government’s record on health and safety, local authority inspections have fallen by a massive 93% since 2009-2010, mostly caused by pressure from government to reduce inspections rather than financial cuts imposed on local authorities.