Regulating Risks: The Evolution of Safety Laws in the Belgian Construction Sector (1888-1905)

From the second half of the nineteenth century onward, the Belgian legislator sought to further address and prevent miserable working conditions and reduce dangerous situations by promulgating various so-called ‘social laws’. The fact that a historical reflection of mitigating safety laws in construction remains absent is striking; especially given the building sector’s immense and continuous share of workplace accidents throughout history.

Some scholars have already emphasised the correlation between the introduction of new techniques and materials since the end of the nineteenth century on the one hand, and increased risk and enhanced responsibility on the other. Others have also argued that judicial and legal aspects deserve a more explicit place in construction history. Building further on these valuable insights, this research offers an overview of five central safety laws that were introduced between 1888 and 1905 which aimed to promote and enforce workers’ protection in the construction sector during Belgium’s fin de siècle. Analyses of these laws are further substantiated by the royal decrees that guided their implementation measures.

Many of the early safety regulations concerning workplace protection deal with multiple industrial and commercial workplaces among which the construction site is only one. Eventually, the royal decree of 1905 discussed workforce safety and security on the construction site in particular. How then was construction addressed in this general safety legislation? Eventually, where there sector-specific safety stipulations for construction? To what extent does legislation refer to specific building techniques, equipment or materials, and if so, how?  Regulations (i.e. laws and royal decrees) are examined through their original texts and attached ministerial notes via the authentic collection of official Belgian legislation, decrees and ordinances: the Pasinomie.

By highlighting the relationship between precautionary measures, technological advancements and safety equipment in the construction sector, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of early labour protection and the role of risks in Belgian building culture.