Health and Safety Legislation Hub

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the primary piece of health and safety legislation in Great Britain. It’s sometimes referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA.

It sets out the general duties that employers have towards employees and members of the public, the duties employees have to themselves and each other, and duties for certain self-employed people.

For employers, the Act requires you to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of your employees. 

To meet those duties in practice, you’ll typically need to:

• Identify workplace hazards and who could be harmed
• Assess risk and put sensible controls in place
• Provide information, instruction and training
• Maintain safe equipment, systems of work and working environments
• Review controls over time, especially when work or risks change

If your risk assessment identifies health risks from work, you may also need occupational health support, such as health surveillance or fitness-for-work medicals.

What This Means for Employers

You’re expected to take reasonable steps to prevent harm and protect welfare at work. Once you’ve identified a risk, you can’t ignore it. You need controls you can evidence, and you need to keep them under review.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 support the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They set out how employers must manage health and safety in practice.

These regulations require you to identify workplace hazards, assess the risks to employees and others, and implement suitable control measures. This is done through a formal risk assessment process.

The regulations apply to all employers and self-employed people.

Under the regulations, you must:

• Carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments
• Record significant findings if you have five or more employees
• Implement appropriate control measures
• Appoint a competent person to assist with health and safety duties
• Provide employees with clear information and training
• Establish procedures for serious and imminent danger
• Cooperate and coordinate where multiple employers share a workplace

Risk assessments must be reviewed if there are significant changes to work activities, equipment or the workforce.

The regulations also clarify responsibilities for both employers and employees. Employees must cooperate with safety measures and follow instructions provided.

What This Means for Employers

You must take a structured approach to managing risk. That means identifying hazards, documenting your findings where required and acting on them. Appointing a competent person and keeping your risk assessments up to date are legal requirements, not optional extras.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, known as COSHH, require you to prevent or adequately control employee exposure to substances that can damage health.

COSHH applies to a wide range of substances used or created at work. This includes chemicals, fumes, vapours, dusts, mists, gases and biological agents such as bacteria.

A substance is considered hazardous to health under COSHH if it:

• Is classified as very toxic, toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant
• Has an approved Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL)
• Is a biological agent
• Is dust present at or above 10 mg/m³ (inhalable dust) or 4 mg/m³ (respirable dust) averaged over an eight-hour period
• Poses a risk to health because of its chemical or toxicological properties and the way it is used at work

COSHH requires you to:

• Assess the risks from hazardous substances
• Prevent exposure where reasonably practicable
• Adequately control exposure where prevention is not possible
• Maintain and monitor control measures
• Provide information, instruction and training
• Carry out health surveillance where appropriate

Health surveillance becomes necessary when employees are exposed to substances linked to identifiable diseases or adverse health effects, such as occupational asthma, dermatitis or lung conditions.

What This Means for Employers

If your team works with chemicals, dust, fumes or biological agents, you must assess the health risks and put effective controls in place. Where there’s a continuing risk to health, you may also need health surveillance to detect early signs of work-related illness and demonstrate ongoing compliance.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 requires you to protect employees from risks to their hearing caused by excessive workplace noise. The aim is to prevent noise-induced hearing loss and conditions such as tinnitus.

The regulations apply across all industry sectors in Great Britain and replaced the earlier Noise at Work Regulations 1989.

The law sets three key exposure levels based on a daily or weekly average:

• 80 dB(A): You must assess the risk, provide information and training, and make hearing protection available.
• 85 dB(A): You must take action to reduce exposure, provide hearing protection, introduce hearing protection zones and provide health surveillance.
• 87 dB(A): This is the exposure limit value. Employees must not be exposed above this level, taking into account the protection provided by hearing protection equipment.

You must also:

• Carry out a noise risk assessment
• Eliminate or reduce noise exposure where reasonably practicable
• Maintain control measures
• Provide suitable hearing protection where required
• Provide health surveillance for employees regularly exposed above the upper action value

Health surveillance typically involves regular hearing tests (audiometry) to identify early signs of hearing damage.

What This Means for Employers

If your workplace includes loud machinery, tools, or vehicles, you must survey noise exposure. Once exposure reaches the upper action value of 85 dB(A), hearing protection and hearing checks become mandatory. Monitoring hearing over time helps you protect employees and demonstrate compliance.

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 require you to protect employees from health risks caused by vibration at work. The regulations cover both hand-arm vibration and whole-body vibration.

Hand-arm vibration is commonly associated with powered hand tools such as breakers, grinders and drills. Prolonged exposure can lead to Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), which affects blood vessels, nerves and joints.

The regulations set two key exposure thresholds for hand-arm vibration, measured as A(8):

• Exposure Action Value (EAV): 2.5 m/s² A(8) – When exposure reaches this level, you must take action to reduce vibration risks.
• Exposure Limit Value (ELV): 5.0 m/s² A(8) – This level must not be exceeded.

You must:

• Assess vibration exposure
• Eliminate or reduce exposure so far as is reasonably practicable
• Introduce technical and organisational control measures
• Provide information and training
• Provide health surveillance where there is a risk to health

Health surveillance is particularly important where exposure is at or above the action value, or where employees are at risk of developing HAVS.

The regulations also set action and limit values for whole-body vibration, which is typically associated with driving vehicles or operating heavy machinery.

What This Means for Employers

If your team regularly uses vibrating tools or equipment, you must assess daily exposure levels and act once the exposure action value is reached. You cannot allow employees to be exposed above the exposure limit value. Where there is a continuing risk of HAVS, you must introduce health surveillance to identify early symptoms and prevent permanent damage.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, known as RIDDOR, require employers and those in control of work premises to report certain serious workplace incidents.

Under RIDDOR, you must report and keep records of:

• Work-related deaths
• Certain specified serious injuries
• Injuries resulting in a worker being incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days
• Diagnosed cases of certain occupational diseases
• Certain dangerous occurrences, which are near-miss events with the potential to cause serious harm

The 2013 updates simplified reporting requirements by replacing the previous list of major injuries with a shorter list of specified injuries, reducing the number of reportable dangerous occurrences and grouping occupational diseases into broader categories.

Reports must be submitted to HSE within the legally specified timeframes.

RIDDOR does not apply to non-work-related accidents or incidents outside of work activities.

What This Means for Employers

If a serious workplace incident occurs, you may have a legal duty to report it to the HSE. You must also keep accurate records. Understanding what is reportable – and acting promptly – forms part of your overall health and safety compliance responsibilities.

Construction carries some of the highest workplace risk levels in Britain. You must manage site safety, coordinate dutyholders and control long-term health risks such as dust, vibration and asbestos exposure.

Key Legislation Includes:

• The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM)
• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

Visit the HSE’s construction sector guidance page for further detail.

Manufacturing and engineering environments often involve machinery, hazardous substances, noise and vibration. You must manage equipment safety and control exposure to workplace health risks.

Key Legislation Includes:

• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
• Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005
• Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005

Visit the HSE’s engineering sector guidance page for further detail.

Transport roles often involve safety-critical duties and medical fitness requirements. You must ensure drivers, pilots and operators meet regulatory standards and manage fatigue and risk appropriately.

Key Legislation Includes:

• DVLA Medical Standards for Drivers
• D4 medical guidance for Group 2 licence holders

Utilities and offshore environments involve high-risk activities such as working at height, maritime standards, remote operations and major hazard management. You must implement robust control measures and ensure fitness for safety-critical roles.

Key Legislation Includes:

• Working at Height Regulations
• Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First-Aid) Regulations 1989
• Seafarers Medical Certification
• Control of Major Accident Hazards 2015 (COMAH)

Visit the HSE’s industry guidance page for further detail.

Health and safety legislation refers to UK laws and regulations designed to protect employees and others from harm at work. These laws set out employer responsibilities for managing risk and maintaining safe working environments.

Occupational health becomes a legal requirement when specific risks are identified under health and safety regulations. Where exposure thresholds are met, you must provide appropriate health surveillance.

Industries such as construction, utilities, manufacturing and engineering commonly require HAVS assessments where vibrating tools are used regularly.

Yes. Employers have a duty to protect employees from work-related stress under broader health and safety legislation. While mental health surveillance isn’t always mandatory, risk assessment and preventative action are part of your legal responsibility.