icon Add as a preferred source Download PDF version
Alteration to the HSE would be a mistake
Grahm Ellicot, Chief of The Fire
Industry Association

FIA Chief Grahan Ellicot said: "Any changes made to the present remit and structure of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would be a mistake."

The government should not include the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in its public sector cuts as it helps to prevent fires and arson attacks, it has been suggested.

A leaked document from the Cabinet Office, which was picked up by the BBC's Politics Show, revealed that the future of the HSE and the Environment Agency are "still to be decided".

However, Graham Ellicott, chief executive of the Fire Industry Association (FIA), claimed that any alteration to the current remit and structure of the HSE would be a mistake.

"Given the recent increase in fires in buildings under construction, any cutting back of the HSE in its role as investigating body and enforcer would be ill advised, especially as hard economic times often lead to more arson attacks," he said.

"Indeed, the FIA believes at this time that the HSE has an increasing part to play in this sector in driving down the number of fire deaths, reducing property losses and helping to lessen the effect of fire on business interruption."

The document intimated that Prime Minister David Cameron is planning to abolish 180 quangos and merge a further 124 following a review by Lord Young.

Meanwhile, American and European golfers were evacuated from their hotel in Newport during the Ryder Cup as a faulty smoke alarm was activated.

Fire Industry Association is available for further comment on the news. Contact Us or check our Fire Training Courses.

In case you missed it

WAGNER's Fire Protection Solutions At BUILDINX 2025
WAGNER's Fire Protection Solutions At BUILDINX 2025

WAGNER Group GmbH will be presenting pioneering solutions for fire protection in modern logistics properties at BUILDINX 2025 in Dortmund from November 18 to 20, 2025. The foc...

Spare A Minute For Maintenance
Spare A Minute For Maintenance

With new fire safety regulations around the corner and a renewed focus on responsible persons and coordination, Karen Trigg of Allegion UK discusses the significance of fire door h...

Fire-Dex Unveils Fire Investigation PPE For Safety
Fire-Dex Unveils Fire Investigation PPE For Safety

Fire investigators have long worked in a gray area of protection where full structural turnouts are overkill, but single-layer garments may not cover every single hazard they encou...

vfd