Left to his own devices, a profit-seeking employer would get workplace safety exactly right, taking just those measures that save more than they cost.

The national programme also has industry-specific schemes - companies that have violated workplace safety rules cannot apply for new government contracts.

He has always abrasively opposed any of his detractors, and he did so yesterday when confronted with the country's dismal history of workplace safety.

Employers benefit from improving workplace safety when it reduces their wage bill by more than it costs.

His efforts were a springboard for the health and safety profession and for the improvements visible in workplace safety today.