Changes commencing on 6 April 2009

Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments and Revocations) Regulations

These regulations are intended to correct issues that have arisen
since the new regulations on the manufacture and storage of explosives
came into force in April 2005. They also take the opportunity to
reduce the administrative burden resulting from explosives legislation
by extending the maximum periods of validity of explosives
certificates and storage licences. They will also revoke redundant and
outdated local mining regulations and correct an omission in the
Control of Noise at Work regulations.

Further information on Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments and
Revocations) Regulations

Factories Act 1961 and Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963
(Repeals and Modifications) Regulations

These regulations remove several legislative form filling requirements
that currently apply to most businesses operating from a factory,
office or shop (and certain railway premises)in Great Britain. The
regulations introduce no new requirements and cover two areas:

* Premises notification - employers will no longer be required to
fill out a form to notify HSE or their local authority of any factory,
office or shop premises, and certain railway premises, where employees
work.
* The general register - factory employers will no longer be
required to keep a set of records and forms called the general
register.

We think these requirements are no longer needed and have been removed
without detriment to current health and safety protection.

Further information on Factories Act 1961 and Offices, Shops and
Railway Premises Act 1963 (Repeals and Modifications) Regulations

The Health and Safety Information (Amendment) Regulations

The 1989 Regulations require employers to provide health and safety
information, including the contact details for the local health and
safety enforcing authority office and Employment Medical Advisory
Service (EMAS) office, to their employees by displaying in the
workplace the approved poster or giving each employee the approved
leaflet. The amendments allow HSE to approve and publish new posters
and leaflets which do not require the addition or updating of
enforcing authority and EMAS contact information by businesses
displaying them.

Further information the Health and Safety Information (Amendment) Regulations

Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations
2009 - to be known as CHIP 4

The current CHIP Regulations have been amended as a consequence of the
adoption and entry into force of the European Regulation on the
Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures,
known as the CLP Regulation. The CLP Regulation adopts in the European
Union, the internationally agreed Global Harmonised System on the
classification and labelling of chemicals, known as the 'GHS'.
Although the CLP Regulation will be directly acting on Member States,
without the need for transposition, the proposed amendments will allow
CHIP to be aligned with the transitional period of the CLP Regulation
and to ensure that the provisions of the CLP Regulation can be
enforced in Great Britain, both throughout the transitional period and
beyond.