All the information employers need to help them to comply with health and safety law plus guidance across all industries is now available online.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in partnership with Butterworths Tolley, has launched the first government web site designed to assist employers to meet their health and safet responsibilities.

Speaking at the launch, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), Bill Callaghan said: "We have designed hsedirect as a user-friendly site intended to help business, particularly small and medium sized firms, understand and develop health and safety policies.

"Reaching the Government's new target of a 30% reduction in the incidence of working days lost from work-related injury and ill-health over the next ten years, will need action by all our stakeholders and by HSE. At the very least, all businesses need to be aware of and conform to the latest health and safety regulations and guidance. Now busy employers will be able to obtain the information they need to comply, quickly, easily and inexpensively?"

Stephen Stout of Butterworths Tolley said: "We have made the site as user-friendly as possible.For example, searching for information can be done in three different ways according to the user's familiarity with the subject and the technology; by topic, by Boolean word searching, or using a simple 'natural language' facility.”

The site provides instant access to a large database containing health and safety legislation and HSE guidance including the Approved Code of Practice, Health and Safety Regulations, Legal, Health and Safety Guidance and Industry Advisory Committee series. There is also consolidated UK legislation, EU directives, news, case summaries, HSE press releases, HSE forms, links to HSE and other relevant sites and selected material from Butterworths Tolley.

www.hsedirect.com