Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced a review of the UK business health and safety laws.
The assessment will focus on small businesses and will ask employers, workers and experts for their feedback on how the health and safety system can be improved and changed.
Currently, many small businesses lack sufficient resources and find it difficult to get information on what the general guidelines on health and safety mean and how they can apply them to their business.
In order to help streamline the health and safety issues, the Health and Safety Executive has published its 2007 simplification plan, which has reduced the amount of paperwork by 50%.
The Better Regulation minister, Pat McFadden has welcomed the changes, and acknowledged: “I am fully aware of some of the considerable challenges that small firms face in protecting their workers from injuries and ill-health.”
"Government must work smarter to make it easier for employers to follow the rules, as this will benefit everyone and contribute to making our society safer."
The review, drawn up by the Department for Business and Enterprise will examine how the government can make life easier for small business when it comes to following health and safety legislation.
It will also examine ways of improving public confidence in the health and safety system.
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