That is the conclusion of a new report by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which surveyed over 6,000 businesses in the UK.
The findings shows that health and safety regulations in the workplace are often misapplied, particularly within small and medium sized firms, due to the volume and ambiguity of the red tape.
The report also shows that the cumulative cost of health and safety regulation in the UK amounts to over £4bn.
David Frost, director general of the BCC, has cautioned that health and safety regulation in the workplace needs to be made more industry specific as many “employers are dealing with a multitude of regulations that do not necessarily add to the safety of workers”.
He added: “The government’s Red Tape Challenge lists 131 separate health and safety regulations. The sheer volume of rules causes confusion for employers, particularly amongst smaller firms without the resource to tackle this.”
The BCC has recommended that the regulations be tailored to the workplace, as many low risk companies are treated the same as high risk firms, and has called on the government to “consolidate and simplify” its rules.
The group also says that a “straightforward and more proportionate system of health and safety regulation will make it easier for employers to comply”, allowing business owners to focus on growing their firms and thereby contribute economic growth.