Health and safety law is riddled with myths and misinterpretation, says FPB
  2 December 2009    
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The Forum of Private Business has responded to controversial remarks made by David Cameron on the subject of health and safety laws.
 

Speaking on Tuesday this week, the Conservative leader spoke of the ‘infuriating' raft of rules and regulations businesses must comply with.

He also said Britain's ‘over-the-top' health and safety culture had left many small business owners out-of-pocket due to unscrupulous companies exploiting their uncertainty over the law.

Mr Cameron said: "The Government itself has admitted that small businesses ‘waste millions' on insurers, consultants and lawyers because of confusion surrounding what they do and do not have to do."

He has since been accused of exploiting ‘myths' about health and safety laws by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. The body, which represents health and safety professionals, blamed widespread misunderstanding of the rules for the problems the Tory leader was highlighting.

However, the FPB believes both viewpoints are valid.

Spokesman Phil McCabe explained: "We would say that, in a way, both Mr Cameron and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health are right.

"Businesses do face too much health and safety regulation and a lot of it is confusing, complicated and over-the-top.

"However, a lot of businesses are over-cautious simply due to the myths and scare stories which do the rounds. There's a lack of understanding of the law which leads to many businesses doing more than they have to in order to comply with the rules.

"Here at the FPB, we lobby to minimise all new health and safety laws and their impact on industry. But we also help business owners to comprehend the existing rules as quickly and easily as possible with a simple, reasonably-priced guide, which effectively walks you through all the main legislation in a straightforward, ‘comply-as-you-complete' format."

The FPB's Health and Safety Guide 2009 costs from just £95 for members and £200 for non-members.



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