Robens and pre-Robens Legislation on health and safety at work1. IntroductionThis report is an analysis of Robens and pre-Robens legislation relating to occupational health and safety. The Robens Commission of Inquiry was established by the British government, in 1970, precisely because of concerns that the traditional system, based on the framework of the 19th century's British factory laws, was too rigid and complex and incapable of keep pace with social, economic and technological change. The whole legislation was therefore examined by the Robens Committee, which concluded that despite this law, there had been no significant reduction in the number of people killed and injured at work. The objective of this report is to compare and contrast the styles of legislation and provide an analysis of their key similarities and differences. It will also present the main highlights of the Robens philosophy in regulating occupational health and safety. The terms of reference used are primarily the Robens Report, the Health and Safety at Work Act, the UK Factories Act and some pre-Robens legislation in Australia and New Zealand and a few articles written over the years on the subject . The observations made are mainly based on the law on health and safety at work. This is primarily because: its measures and philosophy have come to represent the essence of the universal approach to health and safety regulation. It has also been influential in legislative reforms in many countries, particularly those whose legal systems are based on the British model, such as Australia and New Zealand. The Robens Committee's recommendations, although far from universally accepted, subsequently provided the building blocks for legal health and safety requirements...... middle of paper ...... h and security for designers, manufacturers, suppliers and importers. and other relevant bondholders. A report for the National Commission on Health and Safety at Work, March 2000. • Smith, Tom, Robens revisited A review of health and safety law 25 years after the Robens Report, with particular emphasis on 'explosives industry• Eddington, Ian, (2006) An Historical Explanation of the evolution of occupational health and safety and the important place it now occupies in society• Work, health and safety A survey of health and safety at work Volume 1: Report No. 47, 11 September 1995• See Andrew J, Coal 2005 Conference 26-28 April 2005 Legislation, litigation and liability• Walters, David, A timely critique of the UK regulatory system. Regulating health and safety at work: the way forward.