Introduction

The field of occupational health and safety has often been regarded as occupying something of a “Cinderella” position, involving a wide range of important regulation, inspection, and policing for the safeguarding of workers’ health and hygiene at work, but rarely accorded the recognition which could be said to be its due. However, as the completion of the “1992” process towards the Single Market reaches its zenith, two particular factors have combined to catapault this area of activity to the forefront-albeit, some would argue, rather belatedly.