The Government sparked anger from unions and delight from business groups when it confirmed plans for a "major cutback" of health and safety red tape.
Ministers launched an immediate consultation on the abolition of large numbers of regulations with the aim of removing the first rules from the statute book within a few months.
Under the plans, a million self-employed workers will be moved out of health and safety regulation altogether - one of the recommendations from a government-commissioned review led by Professor Ragnar Lofstedt of King's College London.
Health and safety regulations will be cut by half over the next three years, while the report recommended that employers should not be held responsible for damages when they have done all they can to manage risks.
Employment minister Chris Grayling said: "By accepting the recommendations of Professor Lofstedt we are putting common sense back at the heart of health and safety. Our reforms will root out needless bureaucracy and be a significant boost to the million self-employed people who will be moved out of health and safety regulation altogether.
"We will also ensure our reforms put an emphasis on personal responsibility. It cannot be right that employers are responsible for damages when they have done all they can to manage the risk. Fundamentally we will ensure the health and safety system is fit for purpose through streamlining the maze of regulations and ensuring consistency across the board."
Dr Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "No employer wants to see accidents, injuries or fatalities in the workplace, but health and safety regulation does sometimes create an unnecessary burden on businesses.
"Businesses will welcome the clear and evidence-based conclusions of Professor Ragnar Lofstedt's review of health and safety, as well as the Government's promise to swiftly implement its findings. We will hold ministers to these commitments."
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "It is time the Government stopped tinkering around with regulations to save business from non-existent 'red-tape' and instead started looking at what positive steps it could take to improve Britain's health and safety record."
George Guy, acting general secretary of the building workers' union Ucatt, said: "Yet again the focus is on reducing burdens on business rather than concentrating on the safety of workers. In the vast majority of accidents, if simple measures had been undertaken, fatal falls from heights could have been prevented."
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