Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive merge
April 1st 2008
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today merged to form a single national regulatory body responsible for promoting the cause of better health and safety at work, announced Health and Safety Minister Lord McKenzie. The merged body will be called the Health and Safety Executive and will provide greater clarity and transparency whilst maintaining its public accountability.
The decision to merge HSC and HSE was reached after extensive consultation with stakeholders and through the process determined by the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006.
Judith Hackitt, Chair of the new Health and Safety Executive added:
“The new Health and Safety Executive will strengthen the importance of workplace health and safety in Great Britain. With a single regulatory body we will be able to strengthen the links between strategy and delivery in order to provide the accountability expected of a public body in today’s workplace climate.
The merger will not fundamentally change the day-to-day operations but will set the tone for closer working throughout the organisation.
HSE will build on the independence, good relationships with stakeholders and in particular our relationship with local authorities to develop a revised strategy for health and safety in Great Britain.”
The merger will mean:
- There will be a single national regulatory body responsible for promoting the cause of better health and safety at work.
- The current Chair of the Commission becomes Chair of the Board of the new Executive.
- Existing Commissioners are appointed as non-executive directors of the new Executive for the remainder of their term of office with the relevant responsibilities of the new roles.
- The potential size of the Board of the new Executive will be no more than eleven members plus the Chair and members will continue to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
- All the fundamental contents of the Health & Safety at Work Act remain.
- None of the statutory functions of the previous Commission and Executive will be removed.
- There is no change in health and safety requirements, how they are enforced or how stakeholders relate to the health and safety regulator – no health and safety protections will be removed.