A timeline of health and safety

1819: Peterloo Massacre, Manchester

August 16, 1819

Peterloo Massacre

The Peterloo Massacre took place at St Peter’s Field, Manchester, Lancashire, England on Monday 16 August 1819 when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 who had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation.

1833: HM Factory inspectorate formed

June 27, 1833

The first factory inspectors were appointed under the provisions of the Factories Act 1833. Initially their main duty was to prevent injury and overworking in child textile workers. The four inspectors were responsible for approximately 3,000 textile mills and had powers to enter mills and question workers. They were also able to formulate new regulations and laws to ensure the Factories Act could be suitably enforced. Despite serious opposition from contemporary politicians and employers, the factory inspectors were enthusiastic and were able to influence subsequent legislation relating to machinery guarding and accident reporting. By 1868 there were 35 inspectors and sub-inspectors, each responsible for a distinct geographical area. Changes to legislation during the period 1860 to 1871 extended the Factories Act to practically all workplaces and the inspectors took on the role of technical advisers in addition to their enforcement duties. Major technological developments, world wars and the changing nature of employment have provided a constant challenge to factory inspectors over subsequent years.

1835: Tolpuddle Martyrs

March 6, 1835

The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of six agricultural labourers in the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who were convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers in 1834.

1842: Lune Street Massacre Preston

August 12, 1842

1843: Mines inspectorate formed

January 1, 1843

1845: Famine – Potato Blight First Reported in Ireland

September 13, 1845

Drochshaol: Between 1845-1852 nearly 25% of Ireland’s population died or emigrated partly due to the failure of the potato crop.

1868: TUC founded in Manchester

June 2, 1868

From 2-6 June 1868 the inaugural meeting of the TUC was held at the Manchester Mechanics Institute on Princess St.

1893: First women factory inspector appointed

June 27, 1893

1898: Match Girls’ Strike

July 1, 1898

Bryant and May, Match girls strike.

1914: Beginning of the Great War (World War I)

July 28, 1914

World War I begins which will see more than 17 million deaths and over 23 million wounded.

1915: Quintinshill rail crash

May 22, 1915

Quintinshill rail crash – 226 killed

1939: Start of World War II

September 1, 1939

World War II causes in excess of 75 million deaths worldwide with most being civilian fatalities.

1952: UK starts nuclear testing in Australia and the Pacific

October 3, 1952

From 1952-1963 the UK conducted 21 major nuclear tests and over 30 trials in Australia and the Pacific. The UK remains the only nuclear-testing power not to fully recognise and compensate affected veterans, their families and the indigenous populations.

1957: Windscale fire

October 10, 1957

Windscale fire in Cumbria

1961: The Factories Act

March 28, 1961

The Factories Act of 1961 (effective 1 April 1962) brings together earlier factory acts aimed at governing the conditions for workers in factories. These included requirements in cleanliness, temperature, lighting, ventilation, numbers of workers, washing and toilet arrangements. The Act still has some relevance today in law but much of it has been superseded by the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974.

1966: Aberfan spoils collapse killing 144

October 21, 1966

National Coal Board approved spoils had become unstable and collapsed on a school and houses in the village of Aberfan, Wales. The collapse killed 116 children and 28 adults with many survivors experiencing illnesses and PTSD.

1974: Flixborough chemical plant explosion

June 1, 1974

Flixborough (Lincolnshire) chemical plant explosion. The explosion could be heard over 30 miles away killing 28 workers, seriously injuring 36 and devastating families and the local community.

1974: Health and Safety at Work Act

October 1, 1974

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The primary legislation governing workplace health and safety in the UK. Still in use today and sitting above the many Regulations that inform the Act. Essential for employers/ duty holders, local councils, workers, self employed, unions, the public and anyone with an interest in safer working practices.

1975: Health and Safety Executive (HSE) formed

January 1, 1975

From the 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act the HSE is formed.

1977: The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations

March 16, 1977

The Regulations under the The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 provide union safety reps with codes of practice and guidance. These include appointments, recognition and the functions of safety reps and safety committees including the right to be consulted. Operational from 1st October 1978.

1981: First Reported AIDS-related Death in the UK

December 12, 1981

Reported in the Lancet, the death occurred in London in October that year but an HIV transmission had been detected in the UK two years earlier.

1984: First edition of Hazards Magazine

September 3, 1984

Award-winning and highly respected Hazards Magazine rolls of the press and remains an essential resource for safety reps today.

1984: Bhopal Gas Disaster

December 2, 1984

From 2nd December 1984 onwards, the deaths from the Bhopal gas leak is estimated to be 20,000. Seen as the world’s worst industrial disaster hundreds of thousands were also injured and communities destroyed.

1985: Bradford Football Stadium Fire

May 11, 1985

Resulting in 56 deaths and nearly 300 injuries.

1985: Manchester Airport Plane Fire

August 22, 1985

The fire took hold on take-off killing 55 people mainly from smoke inhalation. The effect on families and survivors was immense but it also led to significant changes in aviation safety after maintenance and evacuation failings were reported.

1986: Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster

April 26, 1986

To date the world’s worst nuclear disaster killing 31 and affecting hundreds of thousands with cancers, illnesses, fertility problems and birth defects.

1987: Hazards Campaign Network Begins

September 6, 1987

Greater Manchester Hazards Centre (GMHC) is part of a national network called the Hazards Campaign which was set up in 1988. It draws together Hazards Centres, Occupational Health Advisory Services, safety reps, Trade Unions, specific safety campaigns, victims support groups and safety activists.

1987: Kings Cross Tube Station Fire

November 18, 1987

31 dead and over 100 injured due to fire which started underneath old wooden escalators.

1988: Piper Alpha Oil Rig Fire/ Explosion

July 6, 1988

Major fire and explosion on this North Sea oil rig led to 167 deaths.

1989: First International Workers Memorial Day

April 28, 1989

First declared in the US then later in the UK by the Hazards Campaign in 1992. Now recognised annually worldwide on April 28 to honour hundreds of thousands of people killed or injured at work.

1989: Hillsborough Stadium Disaster

March 4, 1990

With 97 deaths and 766 people injured at Hillsborough stadium it remains the UK’s deadliest sporting disaster. The impact on friends, family, survivors and British society cannot be underestimated.  In the subsequent years, obfuscation and misrepresentations through submissions to inquiries, reports and the mainstream media compounded the grief of those affected by the tragedy.

1995: The RIDDOR Regulations

December 6, 1995

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) created and comes into effect on 1st April 1996. These regulations required a responsible person to report fatalities and certain workplace illnesses and injuries to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The 1995 regulations were later replaced by the weaker RIDDOR Regulations 2013. The 2013 regulations significantly reduced the reporting requirements as well as the list of reportable diseases and dangerous incidents.

1999: Ladbroke Grove Train Crash

October 5, 1999

The high-impact train crash killed 31 passengers and crew and injured more than 417. This was only two years after the Southall train crash which killed 7 and injured well over a hundred.

1999: Asbestos Sales Finally Banned in the UK

November 26, 1999

The last of the asbestos types (white) to be banned for sale, import or export after the 1985 bans (brown and blue) in the UK. Despite the ban asbestos is still in many buildings and products. It still continues to kill affected people today as well as their families, it remains legal in many countries around the world.

2002: First Annual European Week for Safety and Health at Work

October 21, 2002

First European Week for Safety and Health at Work and occurs in late October each year.

2002: The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)

November 21, 2002

Effective from 21 November 2002 COSHH is a set of regulations aimed at protecting workers from ill health when working with specific substances and materials.

2004: Morecambe Bay cockle picker deaths

February 5, 2004

At least 21 Chinese cockle-pickers drowned due to inexperience, being unfamiliar with the area and the language barrier.

2005: Buncefield Oil Depot Explosion and Fire

December 11, 2005

Hertfordshire, England nearly 50 people injured when a fuel-air explosion caused 20 large storage tanks to ignite.

2006: Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK) launched

July 14, 2006

We didn’t vote to die at work so stop killing us!’ No-one should be killed at work and employers should not escape justice. Families Against Corporate Killers was set up by families of those killed by or at work.

2013: Rana Plaza Textile Factory Collapse

April 24, 2013

Bangladesh: 1,134 fatalities and more than double that with injuries. It came less than 10 years after the Dhaka garment factory collapse killing 73 in 2005.

2016: Didcot power station collapse

February 23, 2016

The ‘Didcot A’ power station which was due for demolition, collapsed killing 4 men and injuring 5 more with 47 treated for severe dust inhalation and trauma. As of late 2024 there’s still no conclusion to the investigation.

2017: Grenfell Tower Fire, West London

June 14, 2017

Kensington: The UK’s worst preventable residential fire in recent times saw 72 fatalities, 74 seriously injured with many other people affected. The related inquiry highlighted a series of failings in the management of the building. Seven years on, no criminal prosecutions have yet been made.

2020: First reported cases of Covid-19 in the UK (SARS-CoV-2)

January 31, 2020

The recent Covid-19 pandemic and the associated responses would see at least 240,803 deaths in the UK. More than 633,000 people were admitted to hospital and the ongoing effects of Long-Covid and the loss of loved ones is a daily reality for countless more people.

2022: Hottest Recorded Temperature in the UK

July 19, 2022

Coningsby, Lincolnshire holds the UK record for highest temperature recorded in the UK at 40.3c. Nine of the ten hottest recorded days in the UK ever have been since 1990.