In or Out? What Impact Will the EU Referendum Have on Health & Safety

A recent article in SHP Online asks the question of what impact the forthcoming EU referendum would have, if any, on health and safety legislation.

If we stay….
It is likely that there will be a renegotiation of treaty terms ‘including setting specific targets to reduce the burden on key businesses in key sectors. Potential cuts in costs for SMEs and micro enterprises could mean a watering down of existing employment and H&S regulations, a decision that will need to be weighed up against potential adverse political consequences.’

If we go….
If we decide to part ways with Europe any changes would be minimal in the short-term, partly because we would have a two year notice period where existing legislation still applies, but even following this period, any new legislation would take time to put in place.

Moira Gelman, director at SafetyNow agrees: “If the UK decides to exit the EU probably not much would change in Health and Safety Law as the Health and Safety at Work Act is very effective.

This is proven by the fact that the UK has the best Health and Safety record in the UK and the world. (source http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/european/european-comparisons.pdf (page 3) and ILO website).

From a business point of view there is a huge amount of funding from the EU and this may be highly restricted if the UK exits. The current funding for SafetyNow from LEP to cover the NEBOSH course is funding from EU.”

SafetyNow provide health and safety training courses.