HSE and HSC merge

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) are to merge.

The new body will be named simply the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Judith Hackitt, chair of what was the HSE is to head up the new organisation and stressed that it was business as usual.

"With a single regulatory body we will be able to strengthen the links between strategy and delivery in order to provide the accountability expected of a public body in today's workplace environment," she said.

While the new HSE will continue to reflect the interests of employers and employees, its board will now run all aspects of the body, including several functions normally performed by the HSC such as setting its strategic direction as well as its financial and performance management.

Existing commissioners will become non-executive directors of the new Executive for the rest of their term of office.

A longer five-year plan determining the future of the organisation will be published at the end of this year.