Government scrutinises HSE

The Pesticides Trust [now PAN UK] has submitted written evidence to the Inquiry into the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by the House of Commons Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee (Environment Sub-Committee), and gave oral evidence on 2 November 1999.
    The Trust emphasised that the HSE performs a vital public function, often under difficult conditions, and that their comments were intended to be constructive.
    Responding to questions put by the nine MPs present, Peter Beaumont, Development Director, and Alison Craig, PEX-Action on Pesticide Exposure project coordinator, outlined the Pesticides Trust’s concerns about the HSE. 
    All too often, for example, victims of pesticide exposure do not know which agency to report to, and by the time they do it is too late for a prompt response. Asked how the reporting of pesticide incidents could be improved, they said that there should be a single agency, and an emergency ‘hotline’ should be set up. 
    Observing that, according to ADAS, as much as a third of Britain’s arable land is sprayed with pesticides by untrained people, Peter Beaumont emphasised the importance of training, given the damage these chemicals can cause to both health and the environment, sometimes even in minute quantities. He also proposed an ‘MOT’ for crop-sprayers, which in Sweden has worked well to reduce the over-use of pesticides, and that the impact of pesticides would be more accurately and efficiently assessed – for both health and safety compliance, and environmental protection – if just one set of inspectors visited farmers.
    The Committee asked about the HSE’s record in monitoring the health effects of organophosphates. Peter Beaumont said: “The view of many farmers is that the HSE has been more concerned to put the onus of proof on them rather than to take a precautionary attitude about a real problem. For many farmers it has been unclear whether the HSE was defending the licensing system for the chemicals, or providing information for doctors.”
    Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations, a health assessment must be carried out by pesticide users, but none is needed for risks to the environment: the Trust proposed that it should be required. “The Ministry of Agriculture now requires farmers using certain pesticides to conduct an environmental assessment if there are going to be risks to water,” said Beaumont. “We would say – why limit it to water? The risk assessment procedure is a very useful one.” (AC)

The Work of the HSE, Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, House of Commons, HC828, 26 October 1999, £11.50, 74pp.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 46, December 1999, page 22]