» Back to listing Deregulation Act – Health and Safety Issues

The Deregulation Bill has now been passed into an Act of Parliament and came into force from 26th March.

The aim of the Deregulation Act 2015 is to reduce the legislative and regulatory burdens affecting businesses, organisations and individuals, as well as repealing legislation that no longer has practical use. The Act covers a wide range of topics; the main sections that relate to health and safety are:

Section 1 Health and safety at work: general duty of self-employed persons

• Amends Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which places a general duty on employers and the self-employed to conduct their business in a way that ensures, as far as is reasonably practicable, that they and persons (other than their employees) are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
• The amendment limits the scope of this general duty on self-employed persons, by applying the duty to those self-employed persons carrying out certain activities on a prescribed list, rather than all those who are self-employed. This has the effect of exempting self-employed persons who are not covered by the prescribed list, from this duty.

Section 6 and 7 Requirements to wear safety helmets: exemption for Sikhs

• The exemption for turban wearing Sikhs from wearing a safety helmet is extended from construction sites to all workplaces (except in urgent response to hazardous situations such as fire or riots, or if the individual is a member of Her Majesty’s Forces and taking part in a military operation). This therefore includes visitors to a workplace as well as workers.

For further information - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/20/pdfs/ukpga_20150020_en.pdf