New rules designed to simplify health and safety regulation for businesses in the UK have come into effect.

The new rules, which cover the four areas of regulation that the Health and Safety Executive is responsible for, will include a new version of the new law poster that all employers are obliged to display; a reduction in form-filling; simplified arrangements for the manufacture and storage of explosives; and a new regime on handling hazardous materials more in line with EU rules.

Judith Hackitt, Chair of the HSE, said that the changes would make health and safety better for everyone. "The changed we are introducing will help ensure that well all benefit from simpler and more effective health and safety regulation - whether that is by making the law easier to understand or getting rid of unnecessary form filling," she said.

Hackitt added thats since 2005, when the simplification plan was introduced, British businesses had saved over £300 million, showing that reducing the costs did not mean reducing safety.

One of the most visible changes will occur in the traditional H&S poster, which are a fixture in every workplace in the country. The new poster, and its attendant leaflet, sets out the responsibilities of the employers and workers in this area but employ a more readable, friendly format than the previous version. Businesses will have five years to switch over to the new version and begin handling out leaflets, but those who opt to retain the old version until the 5th April 2014 will have to ensure that the poster remain legible.

When the simplification plan was launched, Hackitt said the point was to make it easier for businesses to identify and comply with best practice in the industry. "The initiatives in this plan play an important role in this, promoting a sensible, proportionate, and risk-based approach which enables organisations to conduct their activities efficiently and safely", she said.