To 2074 ... and beyond

As we look towards the future and the continuing change to the ways that people work, we need to consider how we can protect people from any new and emerging risks, along with a focus on controlling existing and known risk, especially from a health perspective.

Part of this will include legislation. The Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) will continue to be invaluable. But what about the way it’s applied in businesses and the secondary legislation which sits underneath it? We need to consider whether it needs updating or adding to, so it factors in new ways of working.

As a profession, we need to utilise our voice to ensure that any changes in legislation do not bloat or over-engineer the mechanisms to prevent harm. We have seen some applications of the Act and regulations generate excessive and unnecessarily complex processes and sets of documentation.

Last year, we had a stark reminder that we need to protect worker rights in legislation as the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act, which was passed into law in 2023, created a huge amount of consternation as it made its way through Parliament. There were concerns that it could see health and safety-related legislation being repealed, leading to a reduction in standards of worker protection. While such legislation was spared when the Bill became law, there remains the possibility that it could still be revoked moving forward. What we do have, in fact, is an opportunity to review legislation and to judge whether changes are needed so we have a modern system.

The challenge to write legislation that keeps up with change is huge. There are a lot of concerns about advances in technology and what it means but we need to embrace the opportunities that change brings and make sure there are regulations to provide frameworks so that it is implemented for the benefit of workers. If we write standards in the right way, we can make sure that new technologies enable efficiencies, innovation and reductions in harm.

Custodians of the past or stewards of the future?

It is important that health and safety professionals are part of the conversation around this. As a profession, we need to be aware of the changes and advances in technology and the implications it can have.

When it comes to reviewing the HSWA and how it will continue to be relevant, we need to ask ourselves if we are custodians of the past or stewards of the future. We need to consider how we can challenge the status quo and play a role in shaping the world of work going forward to make sure that the outcomes of what we do are positive for workers.

In addition, we need to elevate health along with safety. This is something which is spoken about a lot, but it is key, as health is the foundation for everything else. We should at the very least maintain people’s health, but there is an opportunity to improve people’s health and have a greater impact on society as a result.

And we want to focus on ensuring that we don’t over-engineer things. It very much is a case of less is more – I’m keen that we avoid putting too much emphasis on paperwork and systems. We need to stop over-burdening; it must be about the quality of the work we do.

We need society to understand that occupational safety and health is beneficial and for organisations to see its importance.

Looking towards the next 50 years

If we can get this right, then we get to the sweet spot to drive efficiency, progress and innovation. It isn’t about removing risk; no one wants to work in an environment that’s completely risk-free. We need a certain amount of risk to innovate so we need to tolerate it. It’s about making sure that the burden of this risk is not out of balance with the people exposed to the risk.

So, heading towards the next 50 years, I think we can be sure that the Health and Safety at Work Act will continue to have a significant role, just as it has done since 1974. But we need to ensure that legislation that sits underneath it can cope with the changes to the world of work.

Let’s hope that by 2074, we can look back on how we took things a step further and made work much healthier and safer.

*Originally published by Safety and Health Practitioner