1.)    Does your party think we have the right health and safety legislation? If not, what changes should there be?

Conservatives

Lord Young to lead an extensive review to consider three particular issues:

• How can we ensure the right balance so that individuals acting in good faith who take reasonable actions will not be prosecuted?
• Can we alleviate some of the regulations that currently hinder smaller voluntary organisations?
• Do we need to consolidate legislation into an overarching Civil Liability Act in order to define civil liability for negligence in statute?

Labour

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 has endured and remains relevant today.
• The ultimate responsibility to manage health and safety in workplaces is on duty holders who create and own the risk.
• The 1974 Act has stood the test of time and does not require major change.

Liberal Democrats

• The cornerstone of health and safety policy is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
• We will not start introducing more laws and regulations but will adopt a commonsense approach that lays responsibilities on those who should be accountable and penalises those who seek to deny their responsibilities, to ensure that the health and safety system is working at its most effective.
• We need to look at what can be done to lighten the regulatory burden.

2.)    Does your party think we have the right level of health and safety enforcement? If not, what changes should there be?

Conservatives

• We need to safeguard helpful regulations.
• Sensible regulation is needed to prevent employees from feeling pressurised to take on work that they have not been properly trained for or where they lack the correct equipment.
• There are other areas where we must reduce the burden of regulation.

Labour

• Robust enforcement on a consistent basis by HSE, local authorities and the Office of Rail Regulation is an essential component of health and safety.
• The balance of resources applied to preventative rather than reactive enforcement is always a difficult judgement and there is no identified balance which optimises health and safety outcomes.

Liberal Democrats

• Renewed emphasis on risk assessment and efficient targeting of resources.
• Hefty fines to remind employers and employees of their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

3.) Does your party believe that the so-called ‘compensation culture’ is a significant problem? If so, how would your party tackle it?

Conservatives

• Organisations and individuals operate under the shadow of the worst-case scenario
• We need practical changes in the law to both help bring an end to the culture of excessive litigation while at the same time giving legal safeguards to those who need them most.

Labour

• The suggestion that a so-called ‘compensation culture’ is fuelling restrictive and unduly cautious approaches to health and safety is overstated.
• Issues around competence, education and training are key to achieving better outcomes.

Liberal Democrats

• We support restrictions on the ambulance chasing compensation culture.

4.) What are your party’s views on the introduction of a free, national on-line register of accredited health and safety consultants with appropriate qualifications and experience?

Conservatives

• This is an important contribution to the debate on the future of health and safety. However, we will not make any commitments until Lord Young’s review has reported.

Labour

• Building competence through an organisation will help generate an understanding of what information, skills and training are necessary to ensure safe and healthy working practices.

Liberal Democrats

• We support IOSH’s proposals for an online register of health and safety consultants.

5.) To what extent, if any, does your party think basic health and safety should be embedded in our national education and training system…and why?

Conservatives

• Health and safety is an important element of employment training - nobody should feel that they have been placed in employment without proper training.

Labour

• We are strongly supportive of there being a range of effective training, education and qualifications to underpin our health and safety system.

Liberal Democrats

• Health and safety education is, and should be, part of our education system.