200 years of OSH history

Stewart Campbell

WORKSHOP ON WORK SAFETY RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEMS WITHIN OSH INSPECTION SYSTEMS

15 – 16 APRIL, 2014, BEIJING

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EUCOSH Projecton OSH in High Risk

Sectors

Health and safety and the industrial revolution (UK)

1750-1850• Scale and nature of manufacturing;• Power availability;• Employment of children and women in

industry;• Long working days;• Hazardous machines and hazardous

substances;• Public health.

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Health and safety law – historical development (UK)

• Changes in focus — education, women and children, hours of work, wages, truck, safety, health, “well-being”;

• Addition of Sectors — Factories, Mines, Railways, Docks, Shipbuilding, Construction, Agriculture, Nuclear, Offices, Disciplined Services, Offshore;

• By 1970 — many separate inspectorates enforcing many separate laws.

3

Post 1970 (UK)

• Unification of law• Unification of inspectorates;• Greater involvement of social partners;• Extension of law to employees, self

employed, members of the public;• Widening of concept of health and safety.

4

Changes in attitudes and approach

• 19th century: employers’ resistance to social reform gradually changing to grudging acceptance of responsibilities;

• 20th century, first half: – growth of employee rights and trade unionism; – employers and employees beginning to work

together– enforcement of detailed law – slow improvement in standards– technological progress/rise in production/rise in

accidents5

Changes in attitude and approach

• 20th Century, second half:– Awareness of health issues– Recognition of need to manage OHS better and

development of management systems– Move from prescriptive, detailed legislation to

goal-setting legislation– Recognition of needs of SMEs/ artisans– Dealing with major hazards– Movement of high risk processes away from

western Europe

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Changes in attitude and approach

• 20th Century, second half, (cont.):– Free movement of labour– Decline in TU membership– Awareness of business culture issues– Development of strategic approaches coupled

with target setting– Development of working programme – Reduction in accidents coupled with rise in “new”

health problems.

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The international context and the influence of Europe

• International Labour Organisation• International Association of Labour Inspection• International Social Security Association• European Community/Union– Seveso– Framework Directive and “daughter” directives– The “general principles of prevention”– Reshaping of national law;– New and old Member States– OSH strategy – where is it going?

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European and international issues

• Consistent implementation of directives• Labour law v health and safety law • Labour inspection and health and safety

inspection• The influence of insurance• Stress about stress• Over-protection of children and the public

and degradation in public/political view of OHS

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European and international issues

• Professionalisation of health and safety• The integrated approach to health and

safety/public health• Focus on sickness absence: stopping

workers going off work/getting workers back into work

• Healthy working lives• Impact of the economic crisis??????

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