The Trade Union Congress (TUC) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), highlighting its role as life-saving legislation.

This landmark Act, which received Royal Assent on this day in 1974, was the first to mandate health and safety standards in all workplaces.

Despite significant progress since the Act’s implementation, the UK has averaged over 100 work-related deaths annually in the past decade. The TUC is urging the new government to enhance the Act’s success by providing the necessary funding to eliminate work-related deaths entirely.

The Health and Safety Act 1974

The journey to the HSWA began in 1970 when Employment Secretary Barbara Castle commissioned Lord Robens to review the health and safety provisions for workers. The resulting Robens Report, published in 1972, laid the foundation for the HSWA. It also recommended the establishment of a new health and safety authority, which led to the creation of the Health and Safety Executive.

In 1977, the Act was supplemented by the Safety Reps and Safety Committees Regulations, granting trade union safety representatives the right to inspect workplaces and advocate for safer conditions.

Lives Saved Since 1974

The Robens Report indicated that approximately 1,000 people were killed annually at work in the UK before the HSWA. In 1974, the official data recorded 651 workplace fatalities, and since then, fatalities have steadily declined. From 2013 onwards, annual workplace fatalities have remained below 150, with 138 fatalities recorded in 2023. However, the UK has yet to see a year with fewer than 100 fatalities.

The TUC estimates that at least 14,000 fatal injuries have been prevented since the HSWA was enacted. The Act has also significantly reduced deaths related to occupational illnesses.

While the HSWA has been instrumental in reducing workplace fatalities, other factors have contributed, including the UK’s economic shift from heavy industry to service sectors and additional rights for trade unions to protect workers.

Raising Standards for the Future

As the new government focuses on increasing housebuilding and reviving manufacturing with the Green Prosperity Plan, the TUC insists that workers must receive higher standards of health and safety protection than previous generations.

The TUC calls for the government to:

  • Restore Funding to the Health and Safety Executive: Adequate resources are necessary to ensure the HSE can effectively enforce health and safety standards.
  • Accelerate Asbestos Removal: Prompt action is required to eliminate asbestos from all workplaces, reducing long-term health risks.
  • Protect Trade Union Roles: Safeguarding the role of trade union health and safety representatives and allowing unions to enter and organise non-unionised workplaces will enhance workplace safety.
  • Promote Positive Industrial Relations: Encouraging collaborative efforts between employers and workers will improve health and safety outcomes for all.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak emphasised the importance of the Act: “The Act made it a duty for every employer to protect the health and safety of staff. Thousands of lives have been saved since then. It shows how valuable government can be when put at the service of working people.

“All deaths, injuries, and illnesses at work are preventable. But workplace inspections and prosecutions have plummeted because of Conservative cuts. And more than a hundred people died from work-related injuries last year.

“We need fresh funding and fresh thinking. Government, unions and employers must work together to raise workplace safety to the next level. Every worker deserves to be safe, wherever they work and whatever they do.”