Laws governing safety-incident reporting and lifting operations could be shaken up as part of a government mission to cut red tape and boost economic activity.
The Treasury said consultations would be held over potential alterations to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013 and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998.
The plans were revealed in a policy paper published today.
“We will tackle instances where current approaches are unnecessarily limiting growth,” said the Treasury.
“This means working with regulators to identify specific opportunities where we can adapt practices while maintaining high standards across our economy.
“This includes the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) initiating work in 2025 to consult on potential changes to the definitions, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences reported under the RIDDOR 2013 [rules], and consider improvements to the reporting process to ensure business can comply in the most efficient way possible.”
The HSE would also this year review the LOLER 1998, and “consult to identify and remove unnecessary regulatory burdens and identify potential changes to this legislation to reflect technological advances and reliability of work equipment”, according to the policy paper.
RIDDOR was introduced in 1985 and requires employers and those in charge of work premises to report and keep records of work-related fatalities, injuries and occupational diseases.
It underwent revisions in 1995 and 2013, latterly to simplify reporting requirements.
The HSE uses information gathered via RIDDOR to hone its guidance and advice on how to avoid work-related deaths, injuries and ill health.
The watchdog also enforces LOLER, which was introduced in 1998 to ensure the safe operation of lifting equipment in the workplace.
Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, welcomed the consultations on the proposed law changes.
“We know there are currently some gaps with RIDDOR, like on driving for work, which we’ve advocated for inclusion, so are hopeful for opportunities for improvement,” she said.
“Yet while it’s a good thing that legislation is reviewed and updated to account for current work advancements, especially in new technology, this can never be allowed to undermine workers’ health, safety and wellbeing, their rights and protections.”
Construction worker welfare charity Lighthouse Club said said it would “keep a close eye on the proposal and its developments”.
A spokesperson added: “We urge the government to consider all aspects of any law changes that have the potential to impact the physical or emotional wellbeing of construction workers.”
The Treasury policy paper also includes a swathe of measures to reduce the impact of environmental requirements during planning processes.
It said this would include “easing environmental permit and licence requirements for low-risk activities” to ensure “many developers do not need to seek consent orders”.
Ministers said they would launch “a suite of new initiatives to support priority sectors: including the Environment Agency’s priority tracked service to allow developers to work with a dedicated team on their permits and track progress”.
A lead environmental regulator will be appointed for all major projects in which multiple regulators have an interest, the policy paper revealed, and empowered to make decisions on their behalf.
“This will reduce layers of regulation and create a single front door for major projects,” it said.
The Lower Thames Crossing could be a pilot project to test out such a system, alongside a town-related housing project and “future schemes like Heathrow expansion”, according to the paper.
Ministers said they were working with bosses at the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure its activities were “pacy, predictable and proportionate” for businesses and investors.
The policy paper said the Treasury would “improve strategic alignment between secretaries of state and their regulators”.
It added that the new Regulatory Innovation Office would “drive wider change in regulators’ behaviour and attitudes towards innovation”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in a separate Treasury statement that the government was “taking further action to free businesses from the shackles of regulation”.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds added: “We will make it simpler and faster for projects to agree environmental permits, in some case removing them altogether for low-risk and temporary projects, putting an end to delays that can slow down decisions needed to get spades in the ground.
“Combined with the appointment of a single lead environmental regulator, this will speed up approvals and save businesses millions in time and resource.”
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Greg Pitcher