At present, directors' only health and safety duties in law are expressed as sanctions for criminal failure to prevent accidents or ill health.

HSW magazine and Health and Safety Bulletin believe that a positive duty would encourage senior executives to give safety a higher priority along with their financial responsibilities and raise safety standards in UK workplaces.This belief was supported by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Work and Pensions in its 2008 report on the role of the Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive in regulating workplace health and safety and in Rita Donaghy's recent government-funded inquiry into deaths on construction sites.