'Many lives saved' by UK health and safety legislation
Commercial insurance
6th October 2009
Many people's lives have been saved as a result of health and safety regulations brought in 35 years ago, it has been claimed.
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) stated that the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) had helped to reduce the number of workers killed in accidents during their employment from 651 in 1974 to 180 in 2008.
Nattasha Freeman, president of the IOSH, described it as a "truly brilliant piece of legislation", adding that it had adapted to changing circumstances in Britain over the decades such as the growing number of transient workers and the number of people taking jobs post-retirement.
She made the comments to mark the 35th anniversary of the HSWA on October 1st and called for more to be done to combat workplace fatalities and ill-health.
Liability insurance customers may also be interested to note that the IOSH has praised consumer goods company Diageo for a health and safety initiative that has improved conditions for its manufacturing staff.
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