On 31 July 1974, Royal Assent was granted to a new piece of legislation that would redraw the health and safety landscape within the UK; that would reimagine how health and safety was monitored, managed and policed on UK demolition and construction sites; and that continues to have a positive impact upon the sector today.
That piece of legislation was the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and it was published 50 years ago yesterday.
In this exclusive film, we trace how the legislation came into being, the drivers behind its introduction and the (mostly) positive impact it has had in the five decades since.
