The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for the regulation of health and safety risks that arise from work activity in Britain. Our mission is to ensure that these risks are properly controlled.
Since 2008 we have been based in Redgrave Court, a new purpose-built headquarters 10 minutes from Liverpool city centre.
What do our economists do?
Working in a small team, in collaboration with other analysts and with policy and operational colleagues, our key areas of work are:
- Impact assessments / appraisal of costs and benefits of proposed policy interventions.
- Evaluation of implemented health and safety interventions.
- Research projects, for example:
– the potential for using economic incentives and behavioural economics in the realm of health and safety.
– the cost to Britain of occupational injury and ill health. - Advising on the costs of accidents and ill health as well as the wider economic context for health and safety.
Some of the issues we are interested in are:
- What are the labour market effects of new health and safety at work regulations?
- How much does it cost to reduce the number of occupational cancers?
- What value can we place on the safety of the UK’s nuclear power stations?
- What are the effects of the recession on health and safety outcomes?
Most economists in HSE work in the Economic Analysis Unit, providing analysis and advice across a range of HSE activities; a small number are located in the Chemicals Regulation Directorate, working with specialists on chemicals, pesticides and biocides.
Assistant Economist starting salary is £27,619 with additional salary for a relevant MSc or previous experience.