Happy Anniversary HSWA

The Act replaced a plethora of detailed and prescriptive regulations with a model based on self regulation and a proportionate, targeted and risk-based approach. It's a system that has stood the test of time. As HSE chair Judith Hackitt explains in her blog on the subject: "Forty years on this approach still applies. Despite having diversified away from an economy based predominantly on heavy industry and manufacturing, much of the original vision and framework of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 remains relevant. The principles have been applied time and again to new and emerging technologies and sectors." (www.hse.gov.uk/news/judith-risk-assessment/40th-anniversary-of-act.htm).

What then of the next 40 years? It is generally accepted that the Act is fit for purpose and flexible enough to be applied to a changing economic landscape but what will these changes look like? In a special anniversary feature we speak to a panel of industry experts about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead (bit.ly/1u2nSkb)). They paint a picture of a fast changing workplace. Globalisation, extended supply chains, climate change and ageing and migrant workforces all pose their own unique challenges. Meanwhile a rapid rise in new technologies bring new risks. The EEf’s chief medical adviser, Sayeed Khan, envisages a world where people will soon be 3D printing both at work and at home, which will raise new health and safety issues over potential exposure to chemicals and how to regulate them. Managing the risks associated with nanotechnology is another significant challenge.

There is also a consensus that in the next four decades health must be given as much attention as safety if there is to be progress in tackling work-related illness and disease. As you will see from these pages work is already underway to address this. In our annual Construction Industry Focus the HSE shares the findings of its construction site inspection blitz which focussed specifically on health. During the two week programme jobs had to be stopped on at least 13 occasions because of poor site conditions so there is clearly a lot of work to be done (www.hsmsearch.com/page_488870.asp?hlight=Time+for+the+construction+industry+to). 

We also have a report on an emerging health issue which has been dubbed "sitting disease," a term coined by medical experts to refer to the effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle including long hours spent sitting at a desk (www.hsmsearch.com/page_485618.asp). Research shows that when we sit for long periods of time, enzyme changes occur in the muscles that can lead to increased blood sugar levels and increase the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic obesity and some cancers. 

In Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, over 80% of office workers using computers now work at sit-stand desks. In Britain, this figure is less than 1%, a reminder that while the HSWA has given the UK an excellent foundation in worker protection, we mustn't rest on our laurels, or indeed our behinds, when it comes to our health and safety record.