Health & Safety

Question 1

Health and Morals of Apprentices Act

Answer 1

1802, First attempt to regulate children in the textile industry

Question 2

Factory Act

Answer 2

1819, Factory Act: No children under 9 to work in cotton mills, children in other factories to work no more than 11 hours a day

Question 3

Althorps Act

Answer 3

1833, Limited hours to be worked by children, established four factory inspectors

Question 4

Mines Act:

Answer 4

1842, Employment of all women and children under 10 prohibited underground

Question 5

1901

Answer 5

1901, Minimum working age set at 12 years, Trade boards introduced to set minimum wages in specific industries

Question 6

Factory Act (2):

Answer 6

1937, Limited U16 workers to 44 hours a week

Question 7

Health & Safety at Work Act

Answer 7

1974, Health and Safety legislation extended to all workplaces, then to oil rigs in 1975

Question 8

Construction (Design & Management) Regulations

Answer 8

• Latest version is CDM Regulations 2007, initially came into force in 1995
• CDM 2007 applies to most common building, civil engineering and engineering construction work
• Legislation demands that CDM coordinator must notify HSE of site if construction work is expected to exceed 30 days of construction or 500 person days

Question 9

Confined Spaces

Answer 9

• Examples of situations where people will often rush into complete work unaware of the dangers
• A number of people are killed in the UK each year in confined spaces
• Occur in wide range of industries from those involving complex plant to simple storage vessels

Question 10

Confined Spaces (2)

Answer 10

• Those attempting to rescue do so without proper training or equipment
• Substantially enclosed space where serious injury can occur from hazardous substances or conditions within space or nearby
  Confined Spaces Regulations 1997:
• avoid entry to confined spaces
• if entry unavoidable, follow safe system of work
• put in place adequate emergency arrangements before the start of work

Question 11

Corporate Manslaughter

Answer 11

• until 2007, law required a ‘controlling mind’ be guilty of manslaughter
• notorious prosecution failing in this: P&O Ferries following the sinking of Herald of Free Enterprise
• Corporate Manslaughter Act & Corporate Homicide Act 2007 is a landmark in law
• for the first time companies & organisations can be found guilty as a result of serious management failures resulting in gross breach of care