Streamlining Safety Regulation to Unleash Growth: HSE Reviews LOLER and PSSR Regulations

Perhaps the time for truly effective HSE regulatory change is now.

As the UK awaits Labour’s second budget (due on 26 November this year), the aim of the Government’s Regulation Action Plan (“RAP”) is “reducing the administrative costs of regulation for businesses by 25% by the end of this Parliament” (per this Written statement).  It hopes to free up business and investment funds to encourage competition, innovation, investment, and growth.

If the 2025 Budget results in tax increases (as now widely anticipated), the Government may be keen to cite progress against the RAP to demonstrate that they are nevertheless seeking to ‘unleash’ economic growth.

The HSE's recent Call for Evidence in aid of reforms to LOLER and PSSR (see below), alongside parallel developments such as the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce's re-evaluation of the application of the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) principle, should be viewed in this context.  This could be a pivotal juncture for impactful H&S(&E) regulatory evolution.

Further details

HSE Seeks Industry Insight on Lifting and Pressure Regulations

The Health and Safety Executive (“HSE”) has launched a Call for Evidence to review the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (“LOLER”) and the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (“PSSR”). See the Call for Evidence here: LOLER and PSSR

Running until 11 November 2025, the Call for Evidence aims to ensure that the regulations remain proportionate and responsive to emerging technologies by:

• understanding whether aspects of the regulations impose administrative or financial burdens that do not clearly support risk reduction;
• identifying areas where the regulations may no longer reflect current practice or technological developments; and
• exploring scope for improved clarity or efficacy. 

 The wider Regulation Action Plan

The HSE’s Call for Evidence is part of the wider UK Government’s Regulation Action Plan which aims to modernise safety legislation (amongst others) whilst supporting innovation and growth. As part of the RAP, the Government sought pledges from all regulators to assist with these objectives. 

In response, the HSE, in addition to the LOLER and PSSR review, pledged that they would:

• consult on potential changes to the Reporting Of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 2013 and the associated reporting process; and
• work with DEFRA to recognise international approvals and improve the process for bringing chemical products, such as biocides, to the GB market. 

Why this matters?

LOLER and PSSR are well-established frameworks, but with emerging technologies around safety monitoring and censoring, the HSE are keen to ensure the regulations remain fit for purpose, and that they keep pace with their acknowledgement to "adapt safely to technological changes" (c.f. in this context: HSE’s regulatory approach to AI) and simultaneously understand associated impacts on health and safety.

The LOLER and PSSR review is not about removing the real world protections which keep us safe. It is about refining and simplifying the rules to better reflect today’s working environments. This goal aligns with the Government’s RAP actions to:

1. Tackle the complexity and burden of regulation, reduce business bureaucracy, establish a baseline for the administrative costs of regulation, and to target reforms that remove or streamline administrative processes; and
2. Challenge and shift excessive risk aversion in the system by creating proportionate regulation that balances consumer protection and growth. To achieve this, the Government intends to review regulators’ performance, ensure they reduce administrative costs, introduce KPIs and industry feedback, and to improve government and regulator strategic alignment. 

With momentum building in the context of a Government keen to show they can ‘unleash’ growth, the path to streamlined H&S regulation may be clearer than ever.

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If you have any questions about this or wider H&S issues, please contact our Health and Safety team including Charlotte Whitaker, Ben Davies and Lloyd Nail. 

With thanks to Lloyd Nail for this article. 

Legal 500 Testimonial (October 2025): “What sets the Health and Safety team at Burgess Salmon LLP apart is its rare combination of technical excellence, sectoral breadth, and a calm, assured approach to even the most high-stakes regulatory challenges. The team is particularly adept at navigating the complex intersection of health and safety law, corporate manslaughter, and public inquiries.”