‘Clearer guidance for SMEs needed’
February 1st 2009 Small businesses should get a one stop shop for guidance on health and safety and employment legislation to help them comply with the law and save them time and money, a new report has recommended.
An independent review, undertaken by small business person Sarah Anderson, has recommended a range of solutions to improve the quality of guidance government gives to business. The recommendations are designed to increase compliance with the law, boost business confidence in government advice and cut costs for small businesses.
They include:
• a telephone advice service, free to SMEs for the first year,
• providing tailored and "insured advice" to ensure compliance with employment and health and safety law;
• Government taking responsibility for its guidance, removing disclaimers and
encouraging discretion over prosecution of "reasonable" businesses;
• creating a single access point for all government guidance.
"Many small businesses do not use and have little confidence in guidance from government.” explains Sarah Anderson. “Where there is good guidance, they don't know where to go. Instead they choose to pay for advice, which they could get free or which might make them do more work than is necessary, to comply with the law.
"The vast majority of small businesses want to comply with the law. Government should give them a cost effective and efficient way for them to do so."
Almost half of all businesses use external advice about how to follow regulation, spending at least £1.4 billion per year on such services.
Some 75 per cent of medium sized enterprises report having paid for advice on employment or health and safety regulation. More information: www.businesslink.gov.uk More articles from HSM News Desk: | 
