BAA welcomes Tory pledge to cut red tape

THE British Aggregates Association (BAA) has welcomed recent proposals by the Conservative Party to cut the burden of health and safety red tape on industry. The proposals are based on the ‘earned autonomy’ schemes in the US, which have replaced government regulators with industry audits.


Announcing the proposals, Ken Clarke MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, said the Conservative Party’s far-reaching and ambitious plans for reducing the regulatory burden on businesses would get rid of a ‘millstone around Britain’s neck’.

He pledged to introduce the ‘right kind of regulation’, including a ‘one in – one out’ requirement, whereby any new law must include cuts in old laws which, together, produce a net 5% reduction in the regulatory burden.

He also said the Conservatives would curb the powers of inspectors by allowing firms to arrange their own, externally audited  inspections and, providing they pass, to refuse entry to official inspectors thereafter. ‘People should be given the responsibility to make judgments and not forced to tick boxes and fill endless forms,’ said Mr Clarke. 
 


Commenting on the proposals, BAA director Robert Durward said: ‘The Conservative plans would fit very well with the recently introduced BAA safe site compliance scheme. The scheme already has the support of the HSE, who rate it as one of the most effective they have seen.’ 
 


The BAA scheme involves a professional audit of a site, its personnel and working practices, carried out by industry experts who report to an independent panel. The scheme is designed to adapt itself to the particular circumstances of each individual site with more emphasis given to practical issues than to creating a paper trail.

‘The BAA scheme not only provides evidence of competence, it makes a significant contribution to site safety which is by far the most important consideration,’ added Mr Durward. ‘All our members wish to look after their staff, and the BAA scheme is proving to be a vital tool for quarry managers, whether or not they already hold formal qualifications.’

The first two certificates were awarded at the Association’s AGM at Rutland Water in May 2008 and over 20 BAA members will soon have completed the process.