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What or who has been the most influential development/event/person in H&S?
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shpeditor  
#1 Posted : 22 March 2013 15:28:49(UTC)
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shpeditor
It's SHP's 30th birthday this year (a prize for anyone who still has a pristine copy of Vol.1 No.1 from Jan 1983!) and, to mark it, we're compiling 'SHP 30' - the top thirty developments/events/innovations/people that have changed health and safety for the better. The idea is that people send us their suggestions for inclusion in the list and, from those, we will compile the top 30. We will then publish the SHP 30 as a poll for everyone to vote on what they think has been the MOST influential event, person, etc. You can suggest as many candidates as you like, and they don't have to be from the last 30 years - anything that has ever had a big impact on health and safety practice, procedures, or the profession is eligible. You can submit your suggestions by replying to this thread, by emailing us on shponline@ubm.com or via Twitter @shponline and using the hashtag #shp30 There is a wealth of great options to choose from, so please do take part and help us build a truly stellar list. SHP editor
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A Kurdziel  
#2 Posted : 22 March 2013 16:27:09(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel
Alfred Robens, of the Robens report fame, which set out the current goal setting approach to H&S as oppose to the old prescriptive approach in the Factories Act etc. Not everybody likes it and some would love to go back to the old days when all they had to do was compile a checklist to show compliance with the legislation and bob’s your uncle but this is what we have now and I think it makes miles more sense than the old system. (note I am too young to remember what it was like before the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 but some old- timers might be willing to tell us about it)
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NickH  
#3 Posted : 22 March 2013 16:37:02(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
NickH
Lord Cullen. Piper Alpha and Ladbroke Grove enquiries. Both resulting in numerous improvements in Health & Safety in their resepctive industry sectors.
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PH2  
#4 Posted : 22 March 2013 16:41:56(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
PH2
The Health and Safety at Work Act (Despite the fact that the committe that drew it up was chaired by Lord Robens, whose actions following the Aberfan coal disaster were severely, and rightly criticised at the time) PH2
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User is suspended until 03/02/2041 16:40:57(UTC) Ian.Blenkharn  
#5 Posted : 22 March 2013 16:55:02(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Ian.Blenkharn
Will anyone mention IOSH, ROSPA, IRSSM (have I got that right?), or the various trades unions?
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NickH  
#6 Posted : 22 March 2013 17:01:07(UTC)
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NickH
Good call Ian. Each has provided significant improvement to the way in we approach H&S over the years.
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NigelB  
#7 Posted : 22 March 2013 17:26:44(UTC)
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NigelB
Ian 1 Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977 2 TUC and Affilaited Trade Unions' Safety Representative Training organisations 3 The hundreds of thousands of trained trade union safety representatives that have challenged poor health and safety standards in their volunteer roles over the last 30 years. 4 The European Commission's programme of health and safety Directives started in the mid/late 1980s 5 The development of the Health and Safety Commission/Health and Safety Executive 6 HSG 65 focusing on the key principles of how health and safety can be managed. A few for the moment. Cheers. Nigel
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User is suspended until 03/02/2041 16:40:57(UTC) Ian.Blenkharn  
#8 Posted : 22 March 2013 20:27:38(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Ian.Blenkharn
I'd support some degree of approbation for much of the trades unions' activities and input, but I wasn't proposing inclusion of the others. Just wondering if anyone else would, and on what basis?
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stuie  
#9 Posted : 22 March 2013 20:35:02(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
stuie
David Cameron - for removing all the red tape legislation that is hindering businesses and causing them to fail?? I'll take my tongue out of my cheek now. Seriously as others have said The 1974 H&S at work act; Robens and Cullen, One of my own - Allan St John Holt.
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RayRapp  
#10 Posted : 22 March 2013 22:38:53(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
RayRapp
I cannot disagree with any of the suggestions so far, including the present Government, but for all the wrong reasons of course. Just to add another - SHP itself.
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AdrianW  
#11 Posted : 23 March 2013 09:06:59(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
AdrianW
I would say website technology. IOSH, HSE etc all use websites as a means to communicate information e.g. making available free downloads, participation on discussion forums to exchange views and opinions as well as possible networking opportunities, bringing people up todate with news, training courses on offer, CPD ..... all of this online and readily available at the click of 'the mouse'.
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Betta Spenden  
#12 Posted : 23 March 2013 10:29:42(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Betta Spenden
I would avoid going for Lord Robens and hail Lord Wright of “Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co. Ltd v English [1937]” fame. Without men like him Lord Robens would not have had anything to “cut and paste” to make up section 2 of the HSWA74. He did not actually come up with anything new and he was no hero to the working man. In my opinion from what I have read about his antics, (some may call them criminal acts of theft and deceit), immediately and shortly after the Aberfan disaster (1966). They are disgraceful and appalling incidents that will haunt many for years to come, including the Labour Party. Something that Tony Blair in 1997 tried to put right. The £150,000 misappropriated from the Disaster Fund by Lord Roben was repaid, apparently without taking into account inflation. £150,000 went a little bit further in 1966 than it did in 1997.
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chris.packham  
#13 Posted : 23 March 2013 10:58:18(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris.packham
Ian - it is actually the IIRSM. I would certainly agree with you that these institutions, and I would add the RCN on occupational health, have made a substantial impact. You could also add in the Faculty and Society of Occupational Medicine and the British Occupational Hygiene Society. However, I think we should bear in mind that these needed something to work on and that, in my view, is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Of course we have other regulations, e.g. COSHH, Management of Health and Safety at Work, etc. but these are all additions to the original Act. So my vote would go to the Act itself. Incidentally, I am old enough to remember before the Act. My first job was cutting up blocks of carbon to make brushes for electric motors, using a circular saw. No guards. As the person who trained me said: "Only an idiot puts his hand into the blade, and he only does it once"! No extraction, and to get the black off so that I and my fellow workers were allowed on the bus home the only method available was the trike tank! I sometimes wonder, when I see some of the workplaces I visit how much progress we have really made. Chris
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RayRapp  
#14 Posted : 23 March 2013 11:16:36(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
RayRapp
How very true Chris. I recall when I was an apprentice diamond mounter (manufacturing jeweller) I spent every day at my workbench with a sheet of raw chrysotile in front of me...the dust got everywhere. Now the very word 'asbestos' has everyone running for the fire exit!
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KieranD  
#15 Posted : 23 March 2013 11:19:26(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
KieranD
Sir Geoffrey Vickers, the director of the National Coal Board set up after WWII, who gave a lead on HR, Safety and Health long before these matters were subject to substantial regulation. Vickers provided Robens with a practical model of responsible stewardship and lawful leadership. He illustrated in practice exemplary negotiations with trades unions representing 750,000 at the time, a period of organisational change on a scale comparable to that in the NHS now. A soldier, solicitor and classical scholar, Vickers blessed the safety/health and HR domains which have never since been blessed with the leadership of anyone comparable
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Betta Spenden  
#16 Posted : 23 March 2013 12:32:13(UTC)
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Betta Spenden
Ken Woodward OBE.
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NigelB  
#17 Posted : 23 March 2013 19:36:19(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
NigelB
Tina 1 Cats Eyes have helped save lives over many years: classic simple idea applied with great engineering skills by Percy Shaw. 2 Inertia reel seat belts - that made it easy for drivers and passengers to use thus saving many lives. 3 Canaries for helping save miners lives, albeit posthumously. More to follow. Cheers. Nigel
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pete48  
#18 Posted : 23 March 2013 21:49:38(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
pete48
Although motivated more by social injustice than H&S per se, I propose the "ten hour movement" led by the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (in parliament at least). This group campaigned for an important series of Factories Acts. Their first success was in 1833 when improved controls on the employment of women and children as well as the formation of the Inspectorate were passed into law. The work of that political group created a momentum and framework for the regulation of workplaces that carried on thru' the various Acts of the 19thC into the 20thC until 1974 when we moved onto the approach prescribed in HASAWA 1974. P48
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Graham Bullough  
#19 Posted : 23 March 2013 22:19:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Graham Bullough
Leonard Horner (1785-1864) He was one of the UK's first four factory inspectors appointed in 1833 and probably the most dynamic and influential inspector of his time until retirement in 1859. He was dedicated to improving conditions for working people and also tackling the widespread and illegal employment of under-age children in factories. By the time of his appointment he was already well-established as a pioneering geologist and educationalist, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1813. Despite his various achievements it seems that, sadly, he gets little or no recognition nowadays. If so, perhaps it's high time for this to be remedied! p.s. By coincidence pete48's response at #18 appeared while I was drafting mine and neatly ties in with Horner's appointment in connection with the first Factories Act of 1833. p.p.s. Though we're to be invited to vote in due course for the MOST influential development / event / person in H&S, I don't think there is one! Surely, in reality, isn't it the case that progress in H&S has been made over the past two centuries by a COMBINATION of many developments, events and people - ranging from well known to barely recognised? To use a military analogy, wars and campaigns are won not by individuals but rather by many people in many different roles working towards a common overall goal.
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damelcfc  
#20 Posted : 25 March 2013 08:18:42(UTC)
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damelcfc
Missed this on Friday but... Me.
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damelcfc  
#21 Posted : 25 March 2013 08:25:44(UTC)
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damelcfc
Seriously though, the European Sixpack. Changed the way we practised forever (you could argue a case for better/for worse) but a real change.
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NLivesey  
#22 Posted : 25 March 2013 09:44:41(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
NLivesey
Robert Owen (1771-1858) and his influence in establishing The 1802 Health and Morals of Apprentices Act. It's my understanding that this was the first act that identified a need to manage occupational health issues. In a time where life was very cheap Robert Owen demonstrated an attitude years ahead of his time.
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Mr.Flibble  
#23 Posted : 25 March 2013 09:56:59(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Mr.Flibble
Bob the Builder
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james fleming  
#24 Posted : 25 March 2013 10:02:18(UTC)
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james fleming
Without doubt the most recent influence, in my opinion, is the HASAWA and the reports building up to this. The Act must be a strong contender for the top 30. Health and safety goes beyond Acts and Regulations it is motivated by persons strong convictions of right and wrong. People in history should make the top 30 list and not inanimate words written on paper. The courage of those who campaigned against injustice at work or in society should be recognised in the first instance. To those ends will those people who laid the foundations of safety in the UK be recognised in the top 30? Robert Owen 1771 – 1858. Did he influence the standards in factories and then influence the health and Morals of Apprentices Act? Is this the father of H&S in the UK? Should he be in the top 30?
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NLivesey  
#25 Posted : 25 March 2013 10:24:53(UTC)
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NLivesey
james fleming wrote:
Robert Owen 1771 – 1858. Did he influence the standards in factories and then influence the health and Morals of Apprentices Act? Is this the father of H&S in the UK? Should he be in the top 30?
I've always felt that the 1802 act was the foundation for all else that came after. Although it focussed on children it did identify the need to maintain a healthy working environment for the more vulnerable members of the workforce. It was also the first place (to my knowledge at least) to identify a need to limit working hours. Whilst there was no mechanism to enforce this act it was still an important step in understanding the rights of people in the workplace. As for the father of UK H&S? Given the era and religious influence I would perhaps call him the godfather of UK H&S? :)
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BuzzLightyear  
#26 Posted : 25 March 2013 10:44:09(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
BuzzLightyear
How about the demise of large scale British industry starting under Thatcher in the 80's. It's not only our manufacturing that was exported to China but so too the carnage from industrial injuries to Chinese workers instead. That's not to say we don't still have major risks in the UK - plenty but I presume far fewer than before. A different employment landscape and probably fewer risks and as a result fewer injuries - rise of things like social care, migrant labour into the construction industry, recycling industry etc etc. This is why I think it is hard to draw conclusions around decreases in annual death rates from workplace accidents. Is this a result of improved H&S cultures or less high risk work?
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Palmer20061  
#27 Posted : 25 March 2013 12:39:35(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Palmer20061
How about (& I can’t think how to word this succinctly) the culture shift within industry where having a serious accident is seen as a bad thing rather than a fact of life. You can argue this goes back to the HaSaWA – but if that’s the case why do UK companies working overseas also adopt it where there’s not the regulatory requirement? Interestingly enough on #17 (seatbelts) I’m currently reading a book (sad I know) that argues the introduction of seatbelts didn’t lessen fatalities overall - drivers drive faster, have more accidents, kill more pedestrians....
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David Bannister  
#28 Posted : 25 March 2013 12:56:55(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
David Bannister
Similar to Palmer20061, I think the victims and outcomes of the widely-reported major incidents have shaped public (and thence corporate) opinions much more than any legislation or enforcement. It is perhaps those who have died or had life-changing events or diseases who have had the most influence on the way we approach our jobs. I purposefully refrain from giving credit to the media.
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jay  
#29 Posted : 25 March 2013 14:43:05(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jay
Sir William Richard Shaboe Doll CH OBE FRS (28 October 1912 – 24 July 2005) British physiologist & epidemiologist who was a pioneer in research linking smoking to health problems He also did pioneering work on the relationship between radiation and leukemia as well as that between asbestos and lung cancer, and alcohol and breast cancer.
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james fleming  
#30 Posted : 25 March 2013 20:55:37(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
james fleming
I had another thought... How about the ‘Safety Practitioner’. The you, me, him, her, them, they, us and those aspiring. The advisor, manger, coordinator. The union representative, the shop steward, the voice of the worker. The Regulator, the enforcer, the HSE. For long hours. For getting to site early. For working late. For writing that report. For taking those pictures. For little or no thanks. We contribute, write, represent, argue, fight tooth and nail, demonstrate, illustrate, contemplate, debate and hate when it all goes for nothing. The Safety Practitioner who learns, studies, swot, theorise, understands, pass, fail, referrals, A, B, C, D, accolades, letters, AIOSH, Tech IOSH, Grad IOSH, CMIOSH, CFIOSH, IOSH, CPD, IPD, NEBOSH. The Safety Practitioner that makes a difference without knowing. We don’t know who we touch, save, protect or help. Those who proactively work towards healthier and safer workplaces and make a difference. You, me, him, her, us, I , we, they, them. The ‘Safety Practitioner’, qualified or not, has made the most influential contribution.
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Steve e ashton  
#31 Posted : 25 March 2013 22:24:33(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Steve e ashton
sir humphrey davey.... proving that simple engineering (miners safety lamp) is more reliable and more effective than any amount of law / regs / admin controls... (And as a spin-off, saved the lives of a fair few budgies as well...) Steve
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Steve e ashton  
#32 Posted : 25 March 2013 22:27:02(UTC)
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Steve e ashton
The Tay Bridge disaster - that proved once and for all that complex engineering requires complex engineers, and effectively ended the era of the philosopher scientist artist etc.... Specialist jobs for people who specialists.... Steve
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Simon Heesom  
#33 Posted : 26 March 2013 07:48:51(UTC)
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Simon Heesom
How about Mary Whitehouse!! If I remember correctly from my Diploma course it was her private members bill that got Lord Robens his task to review and develop what became HASAWA.
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BuzzLightyear  
#34 Posted : 26 March 2013 09:37:22(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
BuzzLightyear
Simon Heesom wrote:
How about Mary Whitehouse!! If I remember correctly from my Diploma course it was her private members bill that got Lord Robens his task to review and develop what became HASAWA.
Don't you mean Barbara Castle? I thought Mary Whitehouse just moaned about sex on the telly all the time!
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johnha  
#35 Posted : 26 March 2013 10:30:57(UTC)
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johnha
Alexander Redgrave. Where would we be without his little book?
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Steve e ashton  
#36 Posted : 26 March 2013 11:23:46(UTC)
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Steve e ashton
The Code of Laws of Hammurabi 1792-1750 B.C (Babylonian King who set down first written code of laws) “ If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death” [Law 229] “If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be put to death“ [Law 230] If it kill a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of the house [Law 231] “If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all that has been ruined, and inasmuch as he did not construct properly this house which he built and it fell, he shall re-erect the house from his own means” [Law 232] Also; Deuteronomy Chapter 22: 8 – commonly attributed to Moses, 5th book of the Torah (Jewish law book / the old testament) circa 450 B.C (Ezra) “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof; otherwise you may have a blood-guilt on your house, if any one should fall from it”
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SP900308  
#37 Posted : 26 March 2013 11:47:46(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
SP900308
All those tenacious individuals that went through the legal system 'to the top' and ultimately influenced the legislation and qualifying phrases / terms we have and work to today! Simon
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score  
#38 Posted : 26 March 2013 12:35:41(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
score
Dare I say FFI................?
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walker  
#39 Posted : 26 March 2013 12:47:56(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
walker
BuzzLightyear wrote:
Simon Heesom wrote:
How about Mary Whitehouse!! If I remember correctly from my Diploma course it was her private members bill that got Lord Robens his task to review and develop what became HASAWA.
Don't you mean Barbara Castle? I thought Mary Whitehouse just moaned about sex on the telly all the time!
Mary was never a MP so she couldn't raise a private members bill Interesting though - assuming it was Barbara Another vote for Alan St John Holt here
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redken  
#40 Posted : 26 March 2013 13:58:28(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
redken
http://www.timeshighered...ion.co.uk/145016.article The report of the tribunal of inquiry into the disaster was published in August 1967. It was extremely critical both of the Coal Board and of its chairman, Lord Robens. Many politicians expected that he would resign or be dismissed, but he stayed on. At the end of his term, Barbara Castle made him chairman of the committee that produced the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Nobody was prosecuted, dismissed or demoted as a consequence of Aberfan
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