Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Non-verbal communication
How to build trust
March/April 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Safety
  • Incident management
  • Fire
Regulation/enforcement
Sector: Central government
News

Call to end safety deregulation after Grenfell Tower blaze garners wide support

Open-access content Monday 26th June 2017
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Before the letter was sent to 10 Downing Street on 21 June the total number of signatories was 70, including the initial sponsoring organisations: Park Health and Safety, IOSH, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the British Safety Council.

They were joined by 66 more leading safety bodies and practitioners, such as the Association for Project Safety, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Civil Engineering Contractors Association, International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, Trades Union Congress and Unite the Union. The number has since risen to ten times that number and signatories include former health and safety minister Lord McKenzie of Luton and Dr Joanna Wilde, director of the Council for Work and Health.

The letter calls for a shift in the government's approach to safety and health regulation and fire risk management: "Arbitrary rules were imposed to establish deregulation of health and safety, such as a requirement to abolish two health and safety regulations (and more recently, three) for any new one adopted," it says.

"This mind-set has meant that, even when it was recommended and accepted that mandatory fitting of sprinklers would make homes or schools safer, this was rejected in favour of non-regulatory action. In practice, this approach favours inaction.

"At this crucial time of national reflection and sorrow, we urge all politicians to re-emphasise the need for effective health and safety regulation and competent fire risk management. These are fundamental to saving lives and sustaining our communities."

It also urges the UK government to complete its review of part B of the Building Regulations 2010, which cover fire safety within and around buildings in England, as a matter of urgency and to include a focus on improved safety in the forthcoming parliament.

The letter was first proposed by Lawrence Waterman, managing partner of Park Health and Safety Partnership, former head of safety at the 2012 London Olympics, and IOSH Magazine columnist.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on 23 June, Waterman said the policy of scrapping three regulations for every new one enacted reflected "this atmosphere that health and safety is always about red tape. We never talk about white tape or gold tape and the way in which good health and safety enables good business.

"We have this approach that part B of the Building Regulations is not going to be updated and this has happened for years [despite] advice from the all-party Fire Safety and Rescue Group," said Waterman. "So it's the overall atmosphere that we are questioning."

Read the full letter here.

You may also be interested in...

Image credit: ©Alan Davidson/SilverHub/REX/Shutterstock

 Safety bodies issue joint call for deregulation halt after Grenfell Tower fire

Wednesday 21st June 2017
In an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, more than 70 leading organisations and figures from the UK’s safety and health profession, including IOSH, the British Safety Council and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, have asked her to “scrap the government’s approach to health and safety deregulation and think again”.
Open-access content
The Ministry of Manpower | This photo is copyright 2011 Michael Coghlan and made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license

 Singapore government consults on increasing maximum fatality fine to £28k

Friday 7th July 2017
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has launched a public consultation on the changes, which have been put forward to support the Workplace Safety and Health 2018: A national strategy for workplace safety and health in Singapore (WSH 2018).
Open-access content
©iStock/ BrianAJackson

 Government and safety bodies to discuss fire regulations post-Grenfell

Thursday 20th July 2017
IOSH, the British Safety Council and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents are among those organisations that have called on the government for a “change in mindset” towards safety regulations since the blaze in the 24-storey social housing block on 14 June, which killed at least 80 people.They sent an open letter to Theresa May on 21 June, urging the government to scrap safety and health deregulation.
Open-access content

 After Grenfell Tower we must short circuit the cycle of deregulation and disaster

Tuesday 27th June 2017
In preparation for the change, the head of safety at a university took his freshly drawn-up set of fire risk assessments to his local fire authority, which previously had the task of certifying the premises, and asked if an officer familiar with the campus would give an informal opinion on whether they were sufficient or needed more work.When reminded that it was no longer the fire service’s job, the OSH head persisted until the officer told him: “If you have a fire and we prosecute you afterwards, then you’ll know your assessment wasn’t good enough.”
Open-access content

 Marian Kelly, London Underground

Monday 24th July 2017
London’s underground railway is one of the busiest mass transit systems in the world, carrying four million passengers a day – five million at peak, more than the population of the Republic of Ireland. Trains on the busiest of its 11 lines run on average every 100 seconds.
Open-access content

 European Trade Union Confederation calls on the EU to end MSD ‘plague’

Wednesday 28th June 2017
According to the organisation, which represents workers at EU level, “there have been reports from trade unions that existing rights to consultation with workers are often ignored, and safety and health enforcement agencies are failing to take action to rectify this”.
Open-access content

Latest from News

web-morrison-shutterstock_1205515750.png

  Morrisons’ £3.5m fine is ‘a warning to all employers’, says council

Friday 24th March 2023
Morrisons supermarket has been fined £3.5 million for failing to ensure the health and safety of an epileptic employee who died after falling from a shop stairway.
Open-access content
jfc

 IOSH launches new five-year strategy

Tuesday 21st March 2023
IOSH launches its new five-year strategy this spring. It will build and act on the reshaped purpose and ambition gained during WORK 2022, which ran from 2017 to 2022.
Open-access content
web_Cranes-on-construction-site_credit_iStock-1352083784.jpg

 Risk & Compliance software provider collaborates with HSE and Costain to improve risk management on worksites

Friday 17th March 2023
A Belfast-based Risk & Compliance software provider has been collaborating with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and construction giant Costain as part of an ongoing project to unlock artificial intelligence’s (AI) potential in improving the management of risks on worksites.
Open-access content

Latest from Sector: Central government

Workers-wearing-facemasks_iStock-1214440763

 HSE grilled over its COVID response at Select Committee hearing

Tuesday 23rd March 2021
Unions and HSE leaders clashed over the enforcement of COVID guidance at work last week – IOSH magazine was there to report on it.
Open-access content
Image credit | iStock

 HSE cracks down on violence against inspectors

Friday 21st February 2020
An HSE inspector was the victim of violence and aggression while conducting an inspection at a waste and recycling site, it has been revealed.
Open-access content

 New partnership to deliver industry-leading magazine and jobs site for safety and health profession

Monday 5th August 2019
 IOSH and award-winning content marketing and publishing agency Redactive today announced a new partnership to provide news, updates, insight, careers advice and job opportunities for safety and health’s largest professional community.
Open-access content

Latest from Regulation/enforcement

web--scales-iStock-184986045.png

 A reasonable balance to strike

Friday 24th March 2023
Safety interventions should be practicable and cost-effective, but too much of an imbalance towards safety does not make economic sense for employers, argues Geoff Vaughan, who suggests ‘gross disproportion’ provides a practical limit.
Open-access content
web_Jeremy-hunt-holding-dispatch-box_credit_Fred-Duval_shutterstock_2275701011.png

 Spring budget and occupational health

Friday 17th March 2023
Richard Jones CFIOSH, comments on the occupational health aspects of the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's first budget statement.
Open-access content
web_Big-ben-at-sunrise_credit_iStock-547499548.png

 Health and safety regulations at risk under draft law

Monday 13th March 2023
A proposed new law aims to revoke EU-derived legislation, including life-saving protections, by December 2023, unless specifically kept or replaced – Richard Jones CFIOSH explains how OSH practitioners can get involved.
Open-access content

Latest from Fire

web_Firefighters-walk-to-their-vehicle_credit_Tupungato_shutterstock_1062933506.png

 Terminal cancer cases in Grenfell firefighters

Friday 20th January 2023
National media reports have revealed that up to a dozen Grenfell firefighters have been diagnosed with terminal cancer
Open-access content
yg

 Appeal success for food firm over ‘excessive’ fine

Tuesday 1st November 2022
Court of Appeal reduces Dub Catering’s £120,000 penalty for firm’s breaches of fire safety law.
Open-access content
web_Fire-extinguisher-in-use_credit_iStock-1327086620.png

 HSE publishes revised construction fire safety guidance

Thursday 1st September 2022
The GB Health and Safety Executive has recently published a revised version of its fire safety in construction (HSG168) document. 
Open-access content
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983

Regional Health and Safety Advisor

Northampton
Up to £53000 per annum + Travel & Excellent Benefits
Reference
5452982

Global Health, Safety and Environment Director

Up to £150000 per annum + Excellent Benefits
Reference
5452980
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ