John Fingleton’s claim that health and safety rules are holding UK infrastructure back (Report, 12 December) is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. Stripping back 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 driven a historic decline in workplace fatalities, injuries and ill health. Weakening them would reverse decades of progress and shift enormous costs on to the NHS, employers and taxpayers.
Despite the progress, 124 people died in accidents at work in 2024-25. In 2023-24, the estimated annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health reached £22.9bn. Good regulation allows businesses to thrive without compromising worker health and safety. The idea that deregulation will unlock growth ignores the reality – unsafe work slows projects, causes harm and damages reputations. We urge policymakers to reject calls for health and safety deregulation, and uphold the world-class standards that make Britain a safe, healthy and competitive place to work, trade and invest.
Ruth Wilkinson
Head of policy and public affairs, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
