HSE celebrates 50 years as regulator

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On 1st January 1975, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was launched, created by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

It absorbed earlier regulatory bodies, including the Factory and Railway Inspectorates, to become the primary regulator, enforcer and source of information on workplace health, safety and welfare.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, HSE’s key role in reducing workplace deaths and injuries is undeniable: in 1974, 651 employees were killed at work, while in 2023/24, that number had fallen to 138*.

Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of HSE, is proud of the regulator’s successes, but recognises the challenges workplaces still face in managing health and safety:

“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.

“In 2022, we launched our 10-year strategy, Protecting People and Places, to build on HSE’s strong foundations and address our current and future challenges.

“So today, HSE’s role goes beyond worker protection to include public safety assurance on a range of issues. Recent years have added new responsibilities, such as becoming the appointed Building Safety Regulator and playing an extended role in chemical regulation, post Brexit.

“It is hard to foresee what the world of work will look like in the next 50 years but as ever, our fundamental principle will continue to be to make sure that those who create risk, take responsibility for controlling risk, and those who fail to do so will be held to account.

“We will continue to work with businesses, with industry, with other regulators and with government, to enable strong economic growth, while we continue to deliver our founding principles as we work to protect people and places.”

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