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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in partnership with Butterworths
Tolley, launched the first government dot com site
designed to assist employers to meet their health and safety
responsibilities.
hsedirect is an online information system containing all the
information employers need to help them to comply with health
and safety law and HSE guidance across all industries.
Speaking at the launch, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission
(HSC), Bill Callaghan said:
"We have designed hsedirect as a user-friendly site intended
to help business, particularly small and medium sized firms,
understand and develop health and safety policies".
He continued:
"Reaching the Government's new target of a 30 per cent
reduction in the incidence of working days lost from work-related
injury and ill-health over the next ten years, will need action
by all our stakeholders and by HSE. At the very least, all businesses
need to be aware of and conform to the latest health and safety
regulations and guidance. Now busy employers will be able to
obtain the information they need to comply, quickly, easily
and inexpensively?"
Stephen Stout of Butterworths Tolley said,
"We have made the site as user-friendly as possible. For
example, searching for information can be done in three different
ways according to the user's familiarity with the subject and
the technology; by topic, by Boolean word searching, or using
a simple 'natural language' facility.
"We have also developed software that allows users to access
the website in the way that suits them best; by single user
annual subscription, multi-user licence or by 24 hour day ticket."
Hsedirect.com (also available on CD-ROM) is the most authoritative
source of health and safety information available. The site
provides instant access to a large database containing health
and safety legislation and HSE guidance including the Approved
Code of Practice, Health and Safety Regulations, Legal, Health
and Safety Guidance and Industry Advisory Committee series.
There is also consolidated UK legislation, EU directives, news,
case summaries, HSE press releases, HSE forms, links to HSE
and other relevant sites and selected material from Butterworths
Tolley.
hsedirect has been developed so that anyone, regardless of
their level of internet experience, will have a better understanding
of their responsibilities under health and safety at work law.
Contacts and Further Information.
Hsedirect.com will help employers meet the targets set by the
Government in the 'Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy'
launched by the Deputy Prime Minister and HSC Chair Bill Callaghan
on 7 June 2000. This includes a 44-point action plan which aims
to achieve, by the year 2010, the following targets: reduce
the incidence of working days lost from work-related injury
and ill-health by 30 per cent; reduce the incidence of people
suffering from work-related ill-health by 20 per cent; and reduce
the rate of fatal and major injuries by 10 per cent. There is
an additional target of achieving half of each improvement by
the year 2004.
HSE's web based products are complemented by a number of CD-ROM's
including 'Essentials Routemap', designed to assist firms in
formulating health and safety practices and policies, and a
range of others covering issues such as electrical safety, hand-arm
vibration and the carriage of dangerous goods.
hsedirect is available via the Internet or in CD-Rom format.
There are a number of subscription options available depending
upon an organisation's requirements - a 24 hour day ticket,
a single user annual subscription - which allows unlimited access
for one user to hsedirect for a year - and multi-user licences.
Call HSE's InfoLine, tel: 08701-545500
or write to: HSE Information Centre, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3
7HQ.
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