Ancient Safety Practice
Most people, if asked when they first thought health & safety came about, usually all have very similar answers.
30 years ago? 50? The truth is both surprising and interesting.
Looking at our complex system of current safety rules, regulations and compliance requirements, it would be easy to believe this is all a somewhat modern invention. Well believe it or not, people have had to face consequences for poor safety practice for much longer than you might think.
The first written proof of safety concerns was first noted 4000 years ago in the form of The Code of Hammurabi. It states;
“If a builder builds a house for someone and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death. If it destroys property he shall restore whatever it has destroyed, and because he did not make the house which he built firm, and it collapsed, he shall rebuild the house which collapsed at his own expense.”
“ If a builder builds a house for a man, and does not make its construction meet the requirements, and a wall falls in, that builder shall strengthen the wall at his own expense.”
Furthermore; “If it kills the son of the owner, the son of that builder shall be put to death. If it causes the death of a slave of the owner of the house, he shall give the owner of the house a slave of equal value.”
The age and contents of this code demonstrate that safety and quality of work has been a concern since the earliest years of civilization. And while our consequences for unsafe practices today are thankfully not as extreme as those of the past, it is worth noting that safety is not just result of modern trends.
A lot of people regard safety as unnecessary and sometimes an inconvenience, however it is clear that it has been a concern for centuries, and for very good reason.
As a modern working society, we should be grateful for all the years that have gone into understanding and developing safety rules and make the effort to both uphold and continue to develop our very own safety codes.
Source: Black & Yellow Pty Ltd, Shields Safety Hub
