Health and safety at work
50 years of health and safety at work
2024 marks 50 years since the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was published.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain.
The act sets out:
- The duties employers have towards employees and members of the public.
- The duties employees have to themselves and to each other.
- The duties certain self-employed have towards themselves and others.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was the first major labour law that governed all workplaces and placed greater accountability on both the employer and employee. The legislation brought a conscious practice of health and safety into the workplace and has resulted in improvements of both working conditions and a reduction in workplace accidents.
Workplace accidents
Despite the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 enforcing a conscious effort to prevent them, accidents at work still happen. In a survey we conducted, almost 70% of people (69.74%) did not make a claim after they were injured at work and 20% did not know they could make a claim.
There are many ways in which you could be injured in the workplace, and we have been instructed to represent clients for a wide range of accidents. Some examples of workplace accident claims are:
- Construction accidents: Construction sites remain one of the most dangerous places to work and we have helped many people who have been injured when working on them. Accidents include falls, electrocution, manual handling lifting incidents, faulty machinery, lack of training and lack of appropriate safety materials.
- Defective equipment: You have a right to expect the equipment you use at work to be safe, but unfortunately, poor maintenance and inadequate safety procedures mean some equipment is defective or inappropriate for the job at hand.
- Warehouse and factory injuries: Though warehouses and factories are far safer than they used to be, accidents do still happen, so if you have been injured or have been made ill from working in one, we can help.
- Military injuries: If you have been injured whilst working in the military or suffered because of negligence, we can help.
While some injuries at work can be severe and, in some cases, fatal, there are many non-fatal accidents that happen in the workplace. According to our research, 53% of people did not think their workplace injury was severe enough to make a claim, however 561,000 workers reported a non-fatal injury in the Labour Force Survey 2022/23.
We’re here to help
Every employee has the right to work in a safe and secure environment, without worrying about being put at unnecessary risk by negligent employers. At Slater and Gordon, our expert solicitors are here to help you. Our personal injury team has decades of experience of helping people who have suffered a workplace injury, so you can have peace of mind that your solicitor is working tirelessly to ensure you receive access to the best rehabilitation and treatment, allowing you to focus on your recovery.
If you or a loved one has had an accident at work due to negligent health and safety practices by your employer, contact us online today.
