A new edition has become needed because of the large number of changes in the law since the last edition was published in 1998. These include the Human Rights Act; the Data Protection Act 1998 which was brought into force in 2000; new case law on compensation (particularly with regard to stress); the Woolf reforms on civil procedures, especially regarding expert witnesses; and, developments in equal opportunities law (e.g. maternity leave). The section on disability discrimination has been completely rewritten. Other new features include genetic testing in employment and the new offence of corporate manslaughter, and details regarding the new training and evaluation criteria that occupational health professionals are required to satisfy.