Take care: a history of Health and Safety in the workplace

In 1833, the Factories Act led to the creation of the first factory inspectors. Initially charged only with preventing injury amongst child labourers, they came to exercise considerable legislative influence.

Between 1860 to 1871, their jurisdiction was extended to almost all workplaces; no longer simply observers, they became technical advisers and enforcers in their own right.

As the culture of workplace inspection blossomed, so other industries came to respect minimum standards. Public outcry over the brutal treatment of miners resulted in resulted the Mines Act 1842, in 1895 the Quarry Inspectorate was formed and, from 1956, the agricultural sector began to face regulation.

This piecemeal reform came to a head with the passage of 1974's seminal Health and Safety at Work etc Act. Ironically, given the didactic tendencies all-too-often associated with "'Elf and Safety" today, the Act in fact promoted a less prescriptive system than existing regulation allowed. For the first time, employers and employees were consulted. Codes of practice and guidance became readily available. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) was established to propose new regulations, provide information and conduct research. In 1976, the first of their annual reports into workplace standards was published.

Increasingly, the HSC began to take into account the long-term wellbeing of employees. From 1980, it became incumbent upon employers to keep records of accidents in the workplace and from 1981, to provide adequate first aid facilities. A series of laws regulated the treatment of those exposed to lead at work and, in 1983, the first set of asbestos regulations came into force. Exposure to genetically modified organisms, pesticides, radiation, excessive noise and carbon monoxide – both at work and in the home –were all subject to jurisdiction. In 1992, the so-called "six pack" regulations established the office-based Health and Safety with which we are familiar now. Employers were charged with carrying out risk assessments, health surveillance and providing information protective measures to staff. Computer screens, space, lighting and seating arrangements were all subject to guidance.

In the wake of the six-pack regulations, simplifying Health and Safety legislation has become a priority. In 1994, a major review of regulation recommended that 100 laws be removed. Since then, a variety of strategies have been launched purporting to make Health and Safety less bureaucratic, ranging from 2000's "Revitalising Health and Safety" to Lord Young's "Common Sense – Common Safety" last year.