Strategic programme and post-programme plans
Local Authorities and HSE working together
In 2004, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and Department for Work and Pensions launched a new strategy to improve future standards of workplace health and safety.
The new strategy envisaged a significant change in how the enforcing authorities - Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities (LAs) work together. The aim being to make them collectively more effective in improving health and safety - reducing the incidence of injuries and ill health in the workplaces for which they are responsible.
HSC asked HSE and LAs together to establish a Strategic Programme that would develop and deliver the detailed arrangements for working together in an effective partnership. A “Statement of Intent” was agreed in July 2004 between HSC/E and LA representative bodies, setting out the aims and high-level commitments for the partnership.
Statement of Intent
Putting the partnership arrangements in place
Since the Statement of Intent was agreed, a number of important building blocks have been put in place to assist the partnership. Below are some of the more important examples.
- HSE appointed field-based Partnership Managers, supported by seconded LA staff to develop the partnership directly with the LAs in the regions, Scotland and Wales. The Partnership Teams have also encouraged LAs to sign-up to “local” Statements of Intent between HSE and LAs in regions
- Revised governance arrangements are now in place. A Local Government Panel, comprising LA elected members, met HSC for the first time in May 2006. The Health and Safety Executive/Local Authority Enforcement Liaison Committee (HELA) was reformed; the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) established a Health and Safety Policy Forum.
- An interactive extranet connection was established, allowing LAs to exchange and access directly HSE and other LA’s electronic legal, technical and policy information and other key support systems.
- A “Best practice” guide showing examples of best practice in partnership working was published. A Handbook for Elected Members was also published, aiming to help elected members’ make the connection between health and safety and their other priorities.
- Better access to common guidance, technical support and training
- Helping align planning and timing between LAs and HSE on major work initiatives such as the Fit3 Strategic Programme
- Trialling joint working initiatives between LAs and HSE such as the use of “flexible warrants” enabling inspectors to inspect premises regardless of whether they were traditionally regulated by the LA or HSE.
Closure and post-programme plans
The formal programme ended September 2006. However, work continues to maintain and develop the LA/HSE partnership and below is a stocktake of the partnership by HSE/LACoRS reporting on the activities and achievements during 2006/07 and plans for 2007/08 and beyond.
