Following the creation of the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was officially launched on the 1st January 1975.
The HSE began 2025 by celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary as the national regulator for health and safety in Great Britain today. For the last five decades, it has played a crucial role in reducing the rate of death, injury, and illness in the workplace and has helped Great Britain to become one of the safest places to work in the world.
Who are the HSE?
The Health and Safety Executive are a public body sponsored by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions. As the national regulator for workplace health and safety in Great Britain, their goal is to prevent death, injury, and ill health in the workplace. They were established by the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974.
What do the HSE do?
The Health and Safety Executive aim to help people remain safe and healthy at work and while out in public – they achieve this by:
- Providing free advice, information, guidance, and tools to help manage risk
- Influencing and engaging with workplaces across the country to raise awareness of various risks
- Operating permissioning and licensing activities in major hazard industries
- Carrying out inspections and investigations
- Taking enforcement action and holding those who break the law to account
- Annually publish a range of statistics relating to health and safety in Great Britain
- Collaborate with awarding bodies to develop health, safety, and wellbeing qualifications.
- Receives reports of major incidents at work under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulations (RIDDOR).
Why is the HSE important?
In 1974, the year before the creation of the HSE, there were 651 people killed at work. In 2023/2024, this figure had dropped to 138.
The HSE works to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of every person in Great Britain. They do this by providing resources and tools to organisations to help ensure they are putting measures in places to manage risks, by carrying out targeted inspections to ensure that these measures are being implemented, and by enforcing legislation when they aren’t.
They also focus on the prevention of potential accidents and ill-health – they have launched a number of awareness campaigns in the last 50 years, with topics ranging from workplace stress to how to stay safe around agricultural machinery.
Where can I find Health and Safety Executive resources?
The HSE website has a wide range of resources available for free, including:
- Workplace health and safety statistics, updated annually
- Industry-relevant health and safety guidance
- A-Z of guidance by topic
- RIDDOR – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulations
Does the HSE offer health and safety training?
The HSE run a range of specialist training courses on topics like pesticides, controlling dust explosions, and musculoskeletal disorders. You can find their full schedule by visting their website.
They have also collaborated with NEBOSH (the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) to develop a range of one-day accredited courses:
NEBOSH HSE 1-Day Courses
NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
Learn how to investigate non-complex incidents and implement improvements in your organisation’s health and safety practices, helping to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.
NEBOSH HSE Award in Managing Risks and Risk Assessment
This course focuses on the importance of controlling risks and taking practical steps to protect people from harm.
NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Health and Safety Leadership Excellence
Designed for senior business leaders or those aspiring to senior positions, this course is designed to help leaders understand the reasons for health and safety leadership on an organisational level, and the benefits it can have to a business.
NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Managing Stress At Work
Understand the key principles of work-related stress, how to improve your organisation’s approach to mental health, and create a healthier work environment.
NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling Risk Assessment
This course focuses on how to assess manual handling operations and includes information on how to use the HSE’s manual handling resources.
Congratulations to the Health and Safety Executive on this milestone anniversary, and for all of their hard work over the past five decades to protect the general public.
If you’d like to build your health and safety knowledge further, our NEBOSH General Certificate course is a great place to start. It’s designed for anyone looking to develop practical skills and gain a respected qualification in workplace safety. To find out more, get in touch with the ACT team today.
