HSE statement about research report: Partnership with large organisations - Lessons Learned

The Large Organisations Partnership Pilot (LOPP) finished in Autumn 2008 and evaluation of the initiative has now been completed. The research report "Lessons Learned from the Large Organisations Partnership Pilot" has been released on the HSE website.

HSE senior management is currently considering the lessons learned to establish a clear direction for further progressing its relationships with large organisations. HSE remains committed, under the arrangements established by LOPP and other initiatives, to develop a range of effective partnerships to take forward both the leadership and worker involvement strands of the Strategy for the Health and Safety of GB.

In summary, the lessons learned from the partnership pilot were:

• no one size fits all - a bespoke approach to developing partnership with large organisations is essential, given the spectrum of organisational types.  For example, complex organisations with relatively few sites, each with their own specific challenges and  procedures, demand a quite different approach from that needed for an organisation controlling centrally a very large number of sites, all having more or less identical activities and operations; 
• there needs to be a common understanding on both sides of the partnership of what are the realistic objectives and expectations.  This requires effective lines of communication established right from the start of the initiative and maintained throughout - this is true not only of communication between organisation and regulator but also between regulator and regulator;
• continuity of relationships is important in developing trust and this has implications for selection of individuals charged with developing the relationship.  The organisation can encourage worker trust in the partnership arrangement by actively involving them in the initiative and by demonstrating progress against the agreed objectives through measureable action/activity.