What will the EU Referendum mean for the future safety of the British workplace?

There’s no denying the EU’s current impact on British health and safety regulation. The EU themselves state that "health and safety at work is one of the areas where the EU has had the biggest impact”. The question for those invested in the future safety of the British workplace is whether this "impact” is a benefit or a cost. Eurosceptics and Europhiles alike both want to see safe businesses in the future, but how to achieve this is a matter of fierce debate.

Those campaigning to leave the EU in the referendum would argue that HSE works better when it is stripped back. In a HSE report, they claim that gratuitous regulation was very unpopular among business owners. 72 per cent of those asked said that it was confusing to follow changes to health and safety rules, and 64 per cent of those asked said they did not know which rules actually applied to them. The government has used this rationale to cut HSE regulation by half. What is more, HSE is currently operating with a budget that is 40% smaller than it was in 2011. Despite all of this, there has been no increase in work related deaths. For Eurosceptics, this is proof that extra regulation from the EU is not needed. They would argue that businesses operate more safely with less public interference.

In response to this, those campaigning to stay in the EU would argue that HSE is not doing as well as the Eurosceptics claim. Rather, they warn of a "timebomb” from these HSE cuts. And, while it is true that occupational fatalities have not increased since the current government took over, they have not decreased either. This is clear from the government’s own statement on the data. They claim that "over the latest 20-year time period there has been a downward trend in the rate of fatal injury, although more recently (since 2008/09) the trend is less clear”. With less regulation to drive it forward, it would appear that HSE currently needs more help, not less.

Of course, you could argue that this help need not come from the EU. Private British enterprises could step in to fill the funding gap left by HSE cuts. SEMA are one such private safety organisation that is able to help provide rules, regulations, and inspections in the place of HSE or EU funded safety. However, a large part of SEMA’s effect on the safety of the British workplace comes from being involved in Europe and in the EU. SEMA are the UK member of the European Federation of Materials Handling (FEM). They also state that they have "been a leading player in the development of the relevant emerging European standards”. SEMA are a big part of the health and safety on the European stage. Outside of the EU, it is unlikely that this will continue to be the case.

The political winds may bring some big changes to the future of British occupational safety. If these changes are bad, the best way businesses can guard themselves from them is by relying on themselves. Training — whether it’s racking inspection training, forklift training, PPE training — is a great way to do this. Politics may play a huge role in the future safety of British business, but smart companies will able to continue doing great work whatever happens.

About the author

Justin O’Sullivan is the owner of SEMA Racking Inspections. He is a safety expert who has spent years delivering racking inspection training and SEMA approved racking inspections all across the UK.