TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH & SAFETY
A CHANGING LANDSCAPE Since the inception of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the proliferation
and advancement of technology has been a primary instigator of progress in the industry, argues Ryan Lloyd, Editor of Tomorrow’s Health and Safety.
Ever heard of a theory called Moore’s Law?
Referring to an observation made by the co-founder of Intel, Gordon Moore, it was postulated that the number of silicon transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since their invention. The law suggests, with compelling evidence backing its claim, this trend will continue well into the 21st century.
In layman’s terms, this means that computing power becomes much smaller and much faster every year. It goes someway in explaining the stage we’re at with technology in 2018; the continual cramming of transistors onto chips has been the staple of ebullient innovation in computing, robotics and automation. The digital revolution has utterly transformed the way we work and how we interact with our environment. The universal adoption of smartphones and tablets, which place in the palm of our hands a breadth of accessibility and knowledge that previous generations could only dream of, has opened a world, a universe even, of possibilities.
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When technological discourse is used in the context of business, there is an assumption that it is to increase employee productivity or advance a corporate strategy. And, whilst it is almost certainly used to support these processes, it is in the sphere of health and safety that it appears to be having an incremental impact on the way professionals go about their duties.
To understand the progressive nature of technology in the industry, it is vital to first examine the historical setting which has enabled it to thrive.
THE ROBENS REPORT Like most political, social and cultural great leaps forward, disaster preceded change.
In 1970, serving as Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity under Harold Wilson’s Labour government, Barbara Castle took an Employed Persons (Health and Safety) Bill before Parliament. It was debated rigorously, but, when the Conservative government returned to power
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