Campaign to stop scrapping of health and safety laws

A coalition has formed to oppose the scrapping of European Union safety laws.

Coalition members include the British Safety Council, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. They claim that the government’s Retained EU Law Bill will scrap over 2,400 health and safety laws that date from when the UK was a member of the European Union. 
 
The laws that will be canceled include the Work at Height Regulations, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, Construction Design and Management Regulations and the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations. The coalition claims that these regulations have saved the lives of many people working in construction and other industries. 
 
The coalition accepts that UK health and safety laws need improvement, although they say that the EU Law Bill is being rushed through parliament, does not clarify safety laws, and could undermine health and safety standards.
 
Bill Dunkerley, a corporate lawyer, criticised the bill:
 
“If this bill does become law, then, far from empowering the UK following Brexit and cutting EU-derived red tape, it is almost guaranteed to result in an overnight reduction in safety standards and increase in a workplace injury.”
 
A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said that the Retained European Law Bill will keep important EU safety regulations and will make sure that the United Kingdom continues to have high standards of health and safety protection for workers.