50 years of the Health and Safety Executive

Created by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the HSE was officially launched on 1 January 1975.

Now celebrating 50 years , the HSE have played a vital role in reducing workplace death and injury. By promoting the use of risk assessments, safer working conditions and workforce involvement the HSE has been pivotal in helping Great Britain become one of the safest places in the world to work.

Since the HSE’s inception workplace fatalities have reduced by over 75% from 651 workers in 1974 to 138 as shown in the latest HSE released statistics for 2023/24.