Routine investigations into deaths and injuries to the public have been quietly dropped by the Health and Safety Executive, according to an internal memo.
The government body is accused of no longer automatically investigating accidents involving the public that are possibly caused by unsafe working practices of local authorities, hospitals, prisons and the police.
The change in policy was uncovered by the Centre for Corporate Accountability, a public safety group, after it asked why no inquiries were launched into a number of fatalities.
Legal experts have advised the centre that the HSE may be in breach of the 1998 Human Rights Act by failing to protect life and guard against serious injury.
David Bergman, director of the CCA, said: "The HSE has a statutory obligation to establish adequate arrangements for enforcing public safety duties imposed upon employers under health and safety law. This new policy appears to subvert this requirement."
The centre only became aware of the change, implemented last November, when it received complaints about a lack of examinations.
The centre is now representing relatives in three cases uninvestigated by the HSE: the death of a schoolboy in a bus accident, the drowning of a man dragged away by rip-tides, and the death of a woman as a result of inadequate care by social services and a private firm.
In the past, the HSE investigated all public safety deaths unless another agency was involved. But now it does so only if there are sufficient indications that health legislation was breached.
John Halford, a specialist in public law at solicitors Bindmans, said: "This policy represents a blatant attempt by the HSE to cast off very significant statutory responsibilities. Whether that is possible by means of an internal policy is highly questionable."
The HSE insisted serious cases would be investigated but it wanted to focus resources.
A spokesman said: "It's about priorities and ensuring that we go and do what we do best and do not get involved in areas where we do not have expertise or there is no great advantage in bringing in the HSE."
