EDITORIAL COMMENT - Tell Westminster to change tack

We have received a flood of calls from companies in the plant sector since we revealed the threat of the PUWER regulations last week.

Callers have passed on their sense of shock and betrayal at suddenly being told to carry out modifications they can't afford in a timescale that can't be achieved. A number of companies claimed they would certainly go bust as a result.

Adding irony to injury, news began to filter through that there was even a shortage of the specialised steel needed to make the roll-over protection systems.

Amazingly, industry lobbyers seem to hold out little hope of seeing the directive changed. This idiotic fait accomplis is not the only example of poor EC legislation. There is deep disquiet about other directives such as the incoming lifting regulations and reservations about the working time directive.

The problem is that EC directives are now being spewed out of Brussels and onto our statute books without meaningful consultation.

Why? Because New Labour wants to be seen to be implementing EC directives.The UK had its wrists slapped over not fully applying the management regulations in 1992: HSE lawyers are under instruction to avoid a repeat. They are pressing for the letter and not just the spirit of directives to be translated into UK regulations.

Will we get sensible, workable regulations as a result? It's about as likely as doing a literal translation of a German joke book, and still raising a laugh.

It is not laughing matter, though. Not for the site managers who will be swamped with lifting regs paperwork, or the hirers who may go bust from PUWER. We therefore urge readers to complain to the minister, and to copy their letters to us so we can help bring pressure to bear.