-
Factory Act 1802
Act for the preservation of the Health and Morals of Apprentices and others employed in Cotton and other Mills, and Cotton and other Factories 1802 -
Factories Act 1833
Pressure from the “Ten Hours Movement” resulted in the Factory Act 1833. This Act whilst maintaining a 12 hour day for all young persons, was extended to woollen and linen mills. Most significantly, in order to prevent further evasion, it provided for enforcement by Government appointed inspectors. Four inspectors were initially appointed. The Act gave them powers of entry, power to make regulations, and the enforcement powers of the Magistrates. -
1837
The case of Priestley v. Fowler (1837) appeared to established for the first time that an employer owed, in common law, a duty of care to his employee which was actionable by the employee if breach resulted in injury. -
Royal Commission established to investigate working conditions into the Mining Industry
The Commission’s findings published in 1842 made shocking reading. Accidents, brutality, lung diseases, long hours and highly dangerous and adverse working conditions were found to be the norm. Public outcry resulted and the Mines Act 1842 was brought into force. -
Coal Mines Act 1842
This Act prohibited the women and children from underground work. The radical nature of this measure undoubtedly eased the way for the milder Factories Act of 1844 -
Factories Act 1847
Also known as the Ten Hours Act. Stipulated that as of 1 July 1847, women and children between the ages of 13 and 18 could work only 63 hours per week -
Coal Mines Inspection Act 1850
This act together with the Factories Act 1844 were significant in giving the Home Secretary power to award part of any fine imposed on an employer to a worker injured by the criminal breach. This form of compensation was not used extensively and fell into virtual disuse by the end of the century, being finally abolished in 1959. -
Mines Act
This provided for the imprisonment as a penal sanction, a means of enforcement continued in the subsequent mines statutes, but not extended for a hundred years to other legislation which relied on fines as the penal sanction -
Factory and Workshop Act 1878
This Act brought all the previous Acts together in one consolidation. This Act may be said to be the first attempt at comprehensive factory legislation. Now the Factory Code applied to all trades. No child anywhere under the age of 10 was to be employed and compulsory education for children up to 10 years old was established. 10–14 year olds could only be employed for half days. Women were to work no more than 56 hours per week. -
Employers’ Liability Act 1880
The Employers’ Liability Act extended protection to workers concerning accidents caused by the negligence of managers, superintendents and foremen. Railway companies were also made liable when their employees were injured through the negligence of signalmen, drivers and pointsmen. However, the act did not protect employees against accidents caused by fellow workers. -
Explosives Act 1924
National “Safety First” Association formed
The National “Safety First” Association was formed with both the London Safety First Council and BISFA affiliated to it. The organisations moved to shared offices preparatory to merging into the new association. The Duke of York became the patron of the London Safety First Council when his presidency ended. There was a welcome decrease in deaths on the railways -
Safety First Movement
Safety First Movement taken into the Ministry of Labour to help with safety in war production. -
Formation of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
-
Nuclear Installations Act 1959
This Act brought about the establishment of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate within the Ministry of Power. Today’s Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) is responsible for the UK safety regulation of nuclear power stations, nuclear chemical plants, defence nuclear facilities, nuclear safety research, decommissioning and strategy. Since 2 April 2007 NII has also been responsible for civil nuclear operational security and safeguards matters. -
Construction (General Provision) Regulations 1961 – S.I. 1961 No. 1580
Enabling power: Factories Act 1937, ss. 17, 46, 60 and Factories Act 1948, s. 8. Made: 15th August 1961. Laid before Parliament: 22nd August 1961. Coming into operation: 1st March 1962. Revoked by the famous SI 2007/320 Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (ISBN 9780110757896). -
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was described as “a bold and far-reaching piece of legislation” by HSE’s first Director General, John Locke. It certainly marked a departure from the framework of prescribed and detailed regulations which was in place at the time -
HSE starts to enforce asbestos licensing industry
The Health and Safety Commission’s Advisory Committee on Asbestos reached agreement on two European Union directives concerning protection of workers exposed to asbestos and the marketing and use of asbestos. This agreement, based on medical evidence and research on engineering controls resulted in the development of the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 which came into force on 1 August 1984. -
1990
HSE starts to enforce rail safety
HSE starts to carry out nuclear safety research
Control of Asbestos in the Air Regulations 1990 – S.I. 1990 No. 556
Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations 1990 – S.I. 1990 No. 1380 -
1996
Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORR)
Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply (Amendment) Regulations 1996 – S.I. 1996 No. 1092
Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 – 1996 No. 1592
Packaging and Labelling and Carriage of Radioactive Material by Rail Regulations 1996 – S.I. 1996 No. 2090
Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (Driver Training) Regulations 1996 – S.I. 1996 No. 2094 -
RoSPA
RoSPA’s Director Action on Safety and Health (DASH) Campaign launched Stoke Court ‘Declaration’ on Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORR). First RoSPA Guidance Managing Occupational Road Risk (MORR) guidance published -
The Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy
The Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Statement was published in June 2000 to mark the start of the ten year campaign of the same name. The Revitalising health and safety strategy was launched at a time when the same proportion of people had been injured at work since the early 1990s. The aim of the Revitalising health and safety strategy was to help people at work to protect themselves and their business. -
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 is a landmark in law
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act was given Royal assent on 26 July 2007. The offence came into force on 6 April 2008 and is called corporate manslaughter in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and corporate homicide in Scotland. For the first time, companies and organisations can be found guilty of corporate manslaughter as a result of serious management failures resulting in a gross breach of a duty of care. -
HSC/HSE merges to form one organisation
Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive took the decision to merge their powers and functions to become a new unitary body with the name ‘Health and Safety Executive’. The merger took place following a 2006 consultation exercise setting out the benefits of the merger. -
Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations – S.I. 2013 No. 645
require employers to ensure that the risks from needles and other ‘sharps’ used in healthcare are effectively controlled. The regulations stipulate that healthcare employers and contractors must provide suitable arrangements for the safe use and disposal of sharps and must train workers to understand the risks. In addition, the Regulations require employers and contactors to investigate any work-related incidents involving sharps, and to take appropriate action -
2016
Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2016 – SI 2016 No. 241
Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Tachographs) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 – SI 2016 No. 248
Explosives Regulations 2014 (Amendment) Regulations 2016 – SI 2016 No. 315
Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016 – SI 2016 No. 588
Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015 – SI 2016 No. 668
Modern Slavery Act 2015(Code of Practice)Regulations 2016 – SI 2016 No. 823