A major initiative to raise standards and reduce the health and safety burden on small and medium-sized firms by implementing a single set of criteria has won the support of leading organisations.

The initiative is headed by the The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and more than 20 organisations, including the Federation of Small Businesses, have so far pledged their support for a set of common health and safety criteria.

The list was drawn up after it became apparent that SMEs were facing problems due to prospective clients using a wide range of pre-qualification health and safety schemes.

Businesses therefore face unnecessary and time-consuming paperwork as they seek to meet the specific requirements of each one to assess their approach to the prevention of accidents.

"Small and medium-sized businesses face distinct challenges when dealing with health and safety, without the added complication of having to duplicate paperwork," said Roger Bibbings, RoSPA occupational safety adviser.