Consultations : How To Guides

We are hoping Groups will share their experiences of discussing and responding to pubic consultations and that this information can form part of a 'How To' guide.

If you or your group have any advice you would like to see on this page please email Charlotte Henderson

 

• Recruit and retain new members

• Develop an effective annual programme

• Work with local intermediaries

• Work with the local press and media

• Raise and manage finance

• Secure sponsorship and support

• Organise a seminar

• Develop and run a website

• Develop outreach to SMEs

Your views really do count!

It is sometimes suggested that public consultation by official bodies is only a formality and that decisions have already been made. But in the health and safety field your views really can and do make a difference. Health and Safety Commission and Executive (and other health and safety bodies) value comments and input in response to their consultation exercises. It is particularly important that people who are working at the ‘health and safety coal face’ take time to consider and respond to proposals for new regulations, standards and guidance.  Safety Groups have a vital role to play.

Here are some tips to help your group respond to HSE public consultation and discussion documents:

  1. Nominate someone on your group’s Management Committee to keep a watching brief on what subjects are currently out for discussion or consultation. Keep an eye on www.hse.gov.uk/consult/index.htm.
  2. Draw upcoming consultation topics to their attention. Keep your ear to the ground. If the timescale is known well-enough in advance, speakers on the topic in question can be identified as part of your annual programme planning.
  3. Review upcoming consultation/discussion exercises at your regular Committee meetings and select those, which are likely to be of interest to most of your members.
  4. Prepare a short summary of what the topic is about and what is being proposed. You may even want to suggest some lines of reply. Check out what some of the main organisations in H&S are already saying. What are the contentious issues? Email this summary information to your members to draw the consultation to their attention.
  5. Prepare a short presentation about the proposals and issues for consultation/discussion, which you might make at the end of one of your regular, programmed meetings. There may be downloadable presentations and speakers notes on the HSE website.
  6. If the issue is a specialised topic, see if there are any of your members who might have an interest or special knowledge and be prepared to make a presentation.
  7. Ask your members to send in their views, either directly to HSE or to send them to you so you can amalgamate them into a reply from the Group.
  8. Report back to your Group on the views you have submitted on their behalf. Send a copy to the Safety Groups UK secretariat (contact@safetygroupsuk.org.uk) to keep them in the picture. If appropriate, put a copy of your response on your website.
  9. Keep an eye on the issue as it goes back for discussion to the HSC. Future agendas are published at www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/meetings/index.htm. Report back to your Group on what eventually is decided.

Remember, responding to public consultation is not only about feeding in your views and influencing HSC/E, it’s also an excellent way of maintaining current awareness, finding out about changes that are in the pipeline and getting ahead of the game.