John Fingleton’s claim that health and safety rules are holding back the UK’s infrastructure (report, 12 December) is not only false, it is dangerous. Stripping protections in the name of speed is a false economy that risks lives, reputations and resilience. The UK’s health and safety framework is the backbone of safe and sustainable growth. These regulations have led to historic declines in deaths, injuries and ill health in the workplace. Weakening it would reverse decades of progress, shifting huge costs to the NHS, employers and taxpayers.
Despite the progress, 124 people died in work accidents in 2024-25. In 2023-24, the estimated annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health reached £22.9 billion. Good regulation allows businesses to thrive without compromising workers’ health and safety. The idea that deregulation will unleash growth ignores the reality that insecure work slows projects, causes harm and damages reputations. We urge policymakers to reject calls for health and safety liberalisation, and uphold global standards that make Britain a safe, healthy and competitive place to work, trade and invest.
Ruth Wilkinson
Head of the Policy and Public Affairs Department, Occupational Safety and Health Foundation