Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers within the security industry follow health and safety legislation sufficiently.

Health and Safety legislation applies to the security industry in the same way it does to other sectors of British industry. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or local authority are the enforcement authority dependent upon the nature of the premises concerned. Several approaches are used ensure compliance with the law:

1. Engagement - HSE liaises with a wide range of stakeholders at a strategic level, which supports a two-way flow of information. Specific examples of stakeholder groups in which security issues have a relatively high profile are the Hospitality Industry Liaison Forum and the Joint Advisory Committee for Entertainment, both of which are chaired by HSE.
2. Advice - HSE publishes specific guidance for employers on the safety of security workers, and on work-related violence and aggression.
3. Information - HSE provides links on its website to stakeholder produced guidance, such as that provided by the Security Industry Authority.
4. Regulation - Enforcing authorities have the power to inspect workplaces and investigate incidents and complaints. Security is a cross-cutting issue that has relevance in a wide range of industry sectors. As such, the enforcing authorities can interact with security staff and their employers, when carrying out interventions with other associated businesses.