Annual Science Review 2018

THIS ANNUAL SCIENCE Review showcases the high quality of science, evidence and analysis that underpins HSE’s risk-based regulatory regime. To be an effective regulator, HSE has to balance its approaches to informing, directing, advising, and enforcing through a variety of activities. For this we need capacity to advance knowledge; to develop and use robust evidence and analysis; to challenge thinking; and to review effectiveness.
In simple terms, policy provides the route map to tackling issues. HSE is particularly well placed in terms of the three components of effective policy - “politics”, “evidence” and “delivery”. Unlike most regulators and arms-length bodies, HSE leads on policy development, which draws directly on front line delivery expertise and intelligence; and we are also unusual in having our own world class science and insight capabilities.
The challenge is to ensure we bring these components together to best effect to respond to new risk management and regulatory issues with effective, innovative and proportionate approaches.
Many of the articles in this Review relate to new and emerging technologies and the changing world of work, and it is important to understand the risks these may pose and how they can be effectively controlled, or how they themselves can contribute to improved health and safety in the workplace. Good policy development can support approaches to change that are proportionate, relevant, persuasive, and effective. For example, work described in these pages is: to help understand changing workplace exposures; to provide robust evidence to those negotiating alternatives to unduly prescriptive standards; to understand how best to influence duty
holder behaviors in the changing world of work; to inform possible legislative changes to allow different modes of safe gas transmission; to change administrative processes for Appointed Doctors; and to support our position as a model modern regulator by further focusing our inspection activity where it matters most.
The vital interface between HSE science and policy understand how best to influence duty holder behaviors in the changing world of work; to inform possible legislative changes to allow different modes of safe gas transmission; to change administrative processes for Appointed Doctors; and to support our position as a model modern regulator by further focusing our inspection activity where it matters most.
We work well together and it is important we maintain this engagement as a conscious collaboration.