EHJ August 2003, pages 236-237 Tracey Khanna reports from the Lancaster symposium on the challenges of health and safety enforcement for local government

What makes the Lancaster symposium so successful? Renowned for its hospitality, it certainly says something about the quality of speakers when the early session on Saturday morning is still brimming with tired but enthusiastic and engaged delegates!

Now in its 35th year, last month's Lancaster symposium was challenging, relevant, interesting, controversial at times, and fun. With the focus on health and safety this year, the programme got a kick-start from Bill Callaghan, chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), who challenged delegates to work towards building a stronger relationship between their local authorities and the HSC. Comparing the number of local authority health and safety inspections with food inspections, he said, "I think the status quo is not tenable". However, he stressed that "it is not about numbers of inspections, but about delivering real output and improving health and safety."

Clearly in support of this sentiment was Allan Davies, head of the local authority unit at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who opened his presentation with a direct threat to local authorities, controversially saying: "This is the last chance. If you don't meet it, health and safety could well be taken away from you by the HSE." Mr Davies pointed out that a reduction in manufacturing and production industries and a rapid growth in the service sector - an area traditionally within the enforcement jurisdiction of local authorities - had placed a huge pressure on local authority health and safety service provision.

Mr Davies questioned whether local authorities are able to deliver even their basic health and safety function effectively. When it comes to enforcing health and safety on multi-sited national companies for example, he pronounced, it is debatable whether local authorities have the required capabilities.

On secondment to the HSE's field operations directorate safety unit, Andy Lucas took a less abrupt approach to getting the same message across - that local authorities need to pull their socks up when it comes to health and safety provision. Alluding to the need to "blur the boundaries" between local authorities and the HSE, and indeed between individual authorities, he said: "It is vital that we assemble a set of tools and networks so that we can utilise what we have to a greater effect." The revitalising health and safety strategy, he pointed out, is offering hope to local authorities wanting to increase their "presence and influence".

Adding that many barriers exist to the required closer partnership working, he said that "the HSE needs to fully understand the potential of local authorities in order to engage them. Many HSE inspectors do not understand the depth of work that local authority EHOs undertake." Taking his criticisms wider, Mr Lucas also urged the CIEH to market the responsibilities EHOs actually have for health and safety enforcement more clearly and to strengthen and improve the policy development board's commitment to health and safety issues in its future work plans. "When it comes to achieving the targets of the revitalising health and safety strategy," he declared, "the HSE and local authorities will be judged by their collective contributions."

Calling on the HSE to allow local authorities access to resources such as HSE Direct and BSI Online, on the CIEH to encourage better use of EHCNet, and on local authorities to make better use of the HELA training website inspection packs, he said that such a co-ordination of efforts would not only improve consistency of enforcement, but would help everyone to meet the required targets.

Away from the debate on local authority versus HSE enforcement activities, Julie Barratt, director of CIEH Wales, discussed the myth or meaning behind the charge of corporate manslaughter in a session dedicated to the memory of Eric Foskett. Discussing the legal complexities behind "murder", "manslaughter" and whether a corporate body is able to commit either in the eyes of the law, Ms Barratt offered a fascinating insight into the pros and cons of the creation of an offence of "corporate killing" in the statute books.

On the issue of preventing accidental injuries, public health consultant Loraine Ashton put forward the case for health alliances and specifically challenged local authorities on their poor record of promoting health promotion activities for older people. "Accidental injury is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, with the World Health Organisation predicting that by 2020, injury will account for the largest single reason for loss of life," she said. Ms Ashton pointed out that the direct cost of treating injury in the UK is estimated by the Department of Health to be £1.6bn a year, not counting the indirect cost to society such as loss of earnings and caring/dependency costs and cost to industry through lost working days.

A huge issue surrounds the UK's ageing population, she told delegates. "There is a need to reassess the amount of time given to this sector of the population with regard to promoting their health and safety, be it if they live in the community or in a care home." She went on to say that "a local health and safety policy framework also needs to take into account that there are different cohorts within the older population - ranging from 'young old', at around 50, to the 'frail elderly'."

She urged delegates to ensure that environmental health departments start to properly measure the impact and benefits of schemes such as home repair or handyman. "A major problem when it comes to injury prevention is a lack of data," she said, "and the data that exists is not collected in a standardised way , making it difficult to compare." Challenging the profession to start a regional or national "databank", she said that good quality, published data on interventions is vital if injury prevention through health alliances is to be successful.

Finally, the symposium proved it had gone with a bang rather than a whimper when Steve Illidge, display manager for Highlight Pyrotechnics Ltd, with the able help of event organiser Rob Faulkner, honorary symposium secretary for the North Western Centre, treated the remaining delegates to a "whiz bang" indoor pyrotechnic display that proved risk assessment can be made to work (almost) anywhere!