The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a call for evidence to review the Lifting Operations & 聽Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR).
HSE is inviting input from industry stakeholders, professional bodies and any organisation with relevant experience or expertise.
The aim is to establish an evidence base to inform viable opportunities for simplifying and streamlining regulatory processes.
The call for evidence runs until 11th November 2025.
The government announced in March that, as part of a drive to reduce the regulatory burden on UK business, it was reviewing older prescriptive health & safety legislation, specifically citing LOLER and PSSR.
However, it now seems unlikely that much in the way of regulatory burdens will be removed, given the effectiveness of these particular regulations. Rather, there will just be an updating of some sections, given that the lifting regs are now 27 years old and the pressure regs are 25 years old. 聽
Kate Haire, deputy director of direction and policy at HSE, said: 鈥淭his review represents a targeted approach to regulatory reform rather than an overhaul of the frameworks. We want a regulatory system that not only protects those at work, but also encourages new investment, innovation, and growth.
鈥淲e are focused on targeting amendments that will enhance clarity, simplify requirements, and modernise processes. Our aim is to ensure that we deliver proportionate regulatory requirements, maintaining safety standards, but minimising the unnecessary costs and compliance barriers faced by businesses.
鈥淥ur initial assessment indicates that LOLER and PSSR are generally founded on sound engineering principles, reflect well-established practices, and are deeply embedded across a wide range of sectors. However, we recognise that the emergence of new technologies, particularly those underpinning net zero transitions such as hydrogen, introduce new risk profiles, which is why we are looking to update our evidence base.鈥�
HSE hopes to identify any unnecessary administrative or financial burdens that do not meaningfully contribute to risk reduction, assess whether regulations have become outdated in practice, and explore opportunities for reform that could enhance regulatory clarity, foster innovation and/or support economic growth.
For further details or to take part, see 听补苍诲
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