The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is an example of criminal law (see civil liabilities and insurance). Its introduction completely changed the way health and safety was managed in the UK.
Legislation since 1974
Before 1974, legislation was very prescriptive; since then it has focused more on setting goals (see the register in legislation for examples of statutes and regulations in place).
The Robens Report, on which the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was based, proposed a system of self-regulation. Today, self-regulation effectively works through risk assessment, where organisations identify and control the risks which arise from their activities.
Since 1974, there has been increasing emphasis on management systems (see health and safety management systems) which have developed from ISO 9000 for quality, ISO 14001 for environment, and HSG65 and BS OHSAS 18001/2/4 for health and safety.
Since the year 2000, there has also been a trend towards integrated management systems (IMS), as the formats of the different standards have converged. The number of UK companies successfully introducing an IMS and benefiting from the resulting cost and time savings is increasing (see health and safety management systems).
The 'six pack' regulations
In 1992, the European Union had a significant impact with the introduction of the ‘six pack’. These regulations were made under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and form the core of health and safety legislation in the UK. They are:
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
- Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations
The UK influenced the format and structure of these new regulations, and the emphasis on risk assessment, primarily because of the experience gained during the preparation and introduction of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1988 (see hazardous substances).
New regulations continue to be introduced to cover specific hazards that have not already been addressed, for example, vibration (see vibration). The register of health and safety legislation in legislation lists these regulations.
Management responsibility
Where the regulations refer to the management of health and safety, this means that health and safety is a management issue, i.e. it is the responsibility of departmental managers, supervisors and other junior managers to manage the health and safety of their staff and anybody who may be affected by what they do. This responsibility cannot be delegated to a safety manager or safety adviser.
Safety advisers are employed to provide competent guidance on how to manage specific health and safety situations and provide expert assistance where this is needed. They should not be seen as the person responsible for all health and safety issues within the organisation.