One of the many reasons cited for the extensive health and safety laws in this and many other Western countries is that:

Legal and occupational requirements may be enforced in civil law and/or criminal law, it is accepted that without the additional “encouragement” of possible regulatory action or litigation, many organizations would not act in accordance with their implicit moral obligations.

The effect of health and safety regulations affects us all. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 defines the structure for the promotion, regulation and enforcement of health, safety and welfare in the workplace within the UK. Since the 1950s, the International Labor Organization and the World Health Organization have shared a common definition of occupational health. Health and Safety is a transversal area. The goal of occupational safety and health programs is to provide safe working conditions and environments.

Historically, the safety culture we live in today was largely absent. Incidents such as the Piper Alpha (oil rig disaster), for example, after the initial investigation, a second phase investigation made 106 recommendations for changes to North Sea safety procedures, all of which were accepted by the industry oil company One of the main changes saw the responsibility for enforcing safety in the North Sea from the Department of Energy to the Health and Safety Executive. The conflict of interest was obvious (production and security were handled by the same organization).

A second example was the Kings Cross underground fire. Initially difficult to explain, there had to be a proper forensic investigation which resulted in the discovery of a fluid flow phenomenon, (which is liquid and gas in motion) this ultimately explained the terrible ferocity of the fire.

Today there is consensus that safety culture is a proactive stance towards a safer work environment. Both major incidents identified the effect of organizational, management, and human factors on safety outcomes.

Critics of health and safety regulations argue that the law sometimes punishes those who do the right thing. For example, road humps were placed to slow down traffic in high-density residential areas. They have been shown to slow down ambulances, increase pollution and pose a threat to disabled passengers; they also exasperate some drivers and are considered by some to cause more accidents than they prevent them.

Whatever your thoughts on health and safety, the law saves many lives, and for those of you who have experienced loss of livelihood due to an accident on the job, then there are paths open to you.

Bar chambers provide proactive advice and deal with health and safety work in many areas. Health & Safety compensation claims are frequently appropriate cases in which to directly instruct attorneys.

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