Health and Safety Executive Celebrates 50th Anniversary 

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06 January 2025

The national regulator for workplace health and safety turns 50 in 2025.

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The body was created on 1 January 1975 as a result of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, legislation which aimed to standardise workplace health and safety and define employer and employee duties. It was introduced arguably in part due to trade union pressure to expand the industries covered in the Factories Act 1961 and enforce stronger legal requirements for employers. The groundwork for the act was also laid by what’s known as the Robens Report.

In 1969, a committee on workplace health and safety was established and a report was produced by its Chair Lord Alfred Robens. The report, “Safety and health at work: report of the committee 1970-1972” described fragmented and overly complicated regulations, a lack of health and safety culture and inconsistent enforcement. 

In 1974, one year before the HSE was established, 651 employees were killed at work. Statistics for 2023/24 show that the number has reduced to 138, an increase on the previous year.

Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of HSE, said: “Over the past half century, the Health and Safety Executive has led the way in establishing Great Britain as a safe place to work. As we look ahead to the next 50 years, we recognise there is still much for HSE to take on.

“We’re proud of our successes over the last five decades, but the fact remains that any work-related death is a tragedy, and there are still far too many workers suffering ill-health brought about by work activity.”

“However, while we celebrate this impressive achievement, we must acknowledge that there is still much work to do. In 2023/24, 138 people were still killed in the workplace, a rise on the previous year, and injuries were also up."

– Mike Robinson

Chief Executive, British Safety Council

Mike Robinson, Chief Executive at the British Safety Council, added: “As Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, HSE has played a key role in helping to bring down numbers of people killed or injured at work in the UK over the past half century, and should be recognised for its hard work in upholding the principles of the ground-breaking Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.”

“However, while we celebrate this impressive achievement, we must acknowledge that there is still much work to do. In 2023/24, 138 people were still killed in the workplace, a rise on the previous year, and injuries were also up. Reversing this will require HSE to be given the resources it needs to ensure that there is no rowing back on the progress that has been made since the 1970s, and that the health, safety and wellbeing of workers continues to improve over the next 50 years.”

Picture: an HSE-branded graphic with a montage of images showing people are work wearing health and safety equipment such as hard hats and ear protectors. Text includes" "Wishing HSE a happy anniversary" and the HSE logo. Image Credit: HSE

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 06 January 2025

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