Small Business Trade Association Forum
Hot Topics Fact Sheet 2
6 November 2013

Item 1: Health and Safety Law Poster

The life of the original health and safety law poster comes to an end on April 5, 2014.

After that date, employers must either give their staff a copy of a pocketcard or leaflet – both of which are free to download from HSE’s website -OR display the newer version of the poster, launched in 2009.

You can find out more including how to download the free leaflet/pocketcard or buy the poster at: HSE's website (

Item 2: Self Employed Exemption

Professor Löfstedt’s report "Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety legislation" recommendedexempting from health and safety law those self-employed whose work activities pose no potential risk of harm to others.

Further informationcan be found on

The joint Committee met for the first formal evidence sessionon Wednesday 16 October.They are required to make their recommendations to Parliament by 16 December 2013. The Bill will thenstart its progress throughParliament in 2014.

Item 3: RIDDOR

On the 1st of October this year, important changeswere introduced to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).These changes havesimplifiedthe mandatory reporting of workplace injuries for businesses, while ensuring that the data collected gives an accurate and useful picture of workplace incidents.

The main changes are to simplify the reporting requirements in the following areas

  • The classification of ‘major injuries’ to workers is being replaced with a shorter list of ‘specified injuries’
  • The existing schedule detailing 47 types of industrial disease is being replaced with eight categories of reportable work-related illness.
  • Fewer types of ‘dangerous occurrence’ will require reporting.

There are no significant changes to the reporting requirements for:

  • Fatal accidents.
  • Accidents to non-workers (members of the public).
  • Accidents which result in the incapacitation of a worker for more than seven days.

To support duty holders and those in the wider business community, HSE has revised its web based guidance. The change affects all employers – including the self-employed. New web-based information and guidance is now available on the HSE website at:

Item 4. SME Communications

HSEhas worked with a creative agency, to develop a coherent and consistent overarching brand topresent and establish HSMS, the Toolbox and risk assessment tools as the trusted complete set of tools of simple, relevant advice for SME/low risk businesses. The "H&S ABC: an easy guide to health & safety" brand has now been applied to these pieces of guidance on HSEs website.

The target audience isbased on hazards covered by the toolbox likely to be typical tocertain industries and categorisation within the sector strategies – focussing on the manufacturing, service, retail andbeautysectors in addition tooffice basedactivities.

Awarenessis being raised through a partnership approach working with intermediaries who can cascade this message to SMEs within HSE’s target audience. Weare seeking to use existing and non traditionalpartners e.g banks, stationary and software suppliers.This approach builds on our knowledge that SMEs prefer face to face advice. HSE willalso continue to promote this package of guidance through channels such as e-bulletins and press articles.

We would welcome support fromSBTAF membersin raising awareness of this core set of guidance. We have a partner pack available which provides an overview of the guidance for you and a take away leaflet for small businesses. We can also provide banners and logos for your websites to providedirect links to the guidance, as well as key facts and text for articles.

Item 5: Fee For Intervention

‘The first six months of Fee for Intervention’ report had been published on the HSE website as part of an HSE Board paper on 26 June 2013 and the ‘One Year On’ report will be published in January 2014, enabling a full years data to be considered.

There had been positive outcomes from a series of internal audits of the FFI procedures and activities, including: project management; communications, guidance and training; quality assurance; and the invoicing process, including handling queries and disputes

The latest statistics are shown below:

Run1 / Run2 / Run3 / Run4 / Run 5 / Total
Oct/Nov (issued Jan) / Dec/Jan
(issued Mar) / Feb/Mar
(issued May) / Apr/May (issued July) / Jun/July (issued Sept)
Invoices issued / 1418 / 1807 / 2541 / 2680 / 2995 / 11441
Number of companies invoiced / 1,399 / 1,778 / 2,494 / 2,651 / 2,960 / 11282
Total of FFI invoice run / £727,644.81 / £857,254.34 / £1,088,874.37 / £1,292,356.93 / £1,566,435.06 / £5,532,565.51
Average cost of a single FFI invoice / £513.15 / £474.41 / £428.52 / £482.22 / £522.84 / £483.57

The number of Queries and Disputes- up to1/10/13 is as follows:

FFI Queries / 283
No. resolved / 274
Of resolved % queries resulting in the invoice being amended or cancelled / 31%
FFI L1 Disputes / 9
No. resolved / 9
Of resolved % disputes resulting in the invoice being amended or cancelled / 33%
No L2 disputes raised to date.

HSE will keep SBTAF members up-to-date with the latest information.