50 years of the Health and Safety at Work Act
The Health and Safety Act 1974 marked the 50th anniversary of its Royal Assent on the 31st July 2024. Graduate Solicitor Apprentice in our personal injury team, Megan Knight, takes us through the history of this important Act and what it means for workers.
The presiding aim of the Act was to ensure that all employers provide a safe working environment and look out for the health and welfare of their employees; setting out general statutory duties that employers owed towards employees and members of the public, that employers owed to themselves and each other; and that certain self-employed have to themselves and others.
Responsibility for the health and safety implications of work activity and employee welfare rests with the employer.
The employer must protect their employees by ensuring their health, safety and welfare at work. Employers must identify risks, inform employees and provide training to ensure safe work.
There are grievous sanctions in place if employers fail to comply with the general duties imposed by the Act.
Contrary to what may be thought, it is not necessary for an individual to show that they have suffered actual injury or ill health in order for there to be an employer’s breach of duty. Employers can be held liable under the Act if an individual is exposed to risk.
The introduction of the Act was a welcome move. The years leading up to the implementation of the Act were characterised by numerous fatal and momentous tragedies, such as the Aberfan mining disaster of 1966 and the James Watt Fire of 1968.
The implementation of the Act has seen a steady decline in the number of workplace fatalities. Since 2013, there has been fewer that 150 fatalities every year. Compare this with 651 fatalities in 1974.
The Trade Union Congress accredits the Act to having played a major role in reducing the number of workplace fatalities. Although consideration is to be given to the economic transition away from heavy industry and the decline in manufacturing to service sectors.
Despite the notion that work practices have drastically changed since 1974, the Act is still a robust primary piece of legislation and has paved the way for the advancements in health and safety.
Supported by various regulations which elaborate on the statutory duties forming the foundation for protecting the health and wellbeing of the people coming into the workplace.
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Author: Megan Knight, personal injury.
