Common sense prevails on health and safety rules

Businesses can breathe a sigh of relief that they won't have to rip up and rewrite their health and safety rules, following a recent test case. UK businesses can continue to apply the "so far as is reasonably practicable" phrase test to health and safety measures, following a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

It's a move that many businesses in the region will welcome. The wording of the UK rules has allowed businesses to take a common sense approach. The European Commission, however, objected to the phrase "so far as is reasonably practicable" claiming that it contravened an EU directive on health and safety, which has no such qualification, and wanted it removed. In June 2007 the ECJ upheld the use of the key phrase "so far as is reasonably practicable" in UK health and safety law.

It means businesses should be able to continue without any major upheavals, provided their health and safety measures have been regularly reviewed. Every business wants to protect its workers and the public. It's also important to keep on the right side of the rules, as fines for infringements can hit a business hard.

For further advice on how this will affect your business please contact us via the ‘contact us’ link on the left of this page.

Back to news listing