HSE to become electricity safety regulator

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to become the sole regulator for all safety issues associated with electricity transmission and distribution, following transfer of part of the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) Engineering Inspectorate.

The move will implement a recommendation made in last year's Hampton report on regulation. Philip Hampton, Chairman of J Sainsbury plc, led a review into regulatory inspection and enforcement with a view to reducing the administrative cost of regulation. The report, Reducing administrative burdens: Effective inspection and enforcement, published in March 2005, included recommendations for the HSE's role to expand to take in a number of other regulatory bodies, including the Engineering Inspectorate (EI).

The HSE will become the thematic regulator dealing with both employee and public safety within this sector. The HSE will take on EI's public safety role with respect to the electricity transmission and distribution industry. Other roles will remain with DTI.

Welcoming the move Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Minister for Health and Safety said:

"The transfer shows the continuing commitment to the principles of better regulation set out in last years Hampton report, it ensures that safety remains paramount whilst simplifying matters for industry by ensuring that there will now be only one safety regulator to report incidents or injuries to."

Engineering Inspectors are currently appointed under Section 30 of the Electricity Act 1989 and carry out their duties for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of electricity networks in England and Wales, and for the Scottish Executive in Scotland. They carry out similar enforcement activities for the Northern Ireland Office under an agency agreement.

Inspectors' roles for public safety include enforcement of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002, which set safety standards for electricity companies to help prevent danger to the public from electrical plant and lines. They investigate fatalities and some major injuries to members of the public; handle public complaints about safety matters and carry out annual safety management audits of licensed electricity companies.