An independent panel to consider challenges to health and safety regulatory advice is now established.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is supporting the new panel, which will look into issues raised by business where they believe a HSE or local authority health and safety inspector has given advice that is incorrect or disproportionate. The panel will not look at issues where other independent appeals processes exist, such as for enforcement notices or prosecutions.
The panel will be chaired by Tricia Henton, an experienced former regulator at the Environment Agency and is comprised of independent panel members who have the competence and experience to assess advice that has been given on regulatory matters.
Ministers asked for the panel to be established following a recommendation in the Löfstedt report, which proposed that the Government introduced a challenge mechanism that allows for cases of incorrect, over-application of health and safety legislation to be addressed.
For more information about the panel, please visit the web pages at:http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/challenge-panel.htm
