UK Health and Safety Laws - What You Need To Know

In the United Kingdom, health and safety is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having its own separate system, laws and agencies responsible for enforcing them. The main piece of UK legislation governing health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Since the 1980s, the health and safety executive has been increasingly privatised and commercialised, with various private companies now offering health and safety consultancy and enforcement services. UK health and safety laws are some of the most stringent in the world, and UK businesses are generally very proactive in ensuring that their employees are safe and healthy at work.

Of course, the UK isn't the only country with strict health and safety laws. In fact, many developed countries have similar regulations in place. But what sets the UK apart is the enforcement of these laws. Health and safety inspectors are known to be pretty relentless in their pursuit of violators, and they have been known to hand out hefty fines for even the most minor of infractions.

What Does Health and Safety Cover

There are many different aspects to UK health and safety law, and businesses need to be aware of all of them in order to ensure that they are compliant. No matter how big or small your business might be, it’s important you comply with UK health and safety laws. Some of the most important aspects of UK health and safety law include:

• Providing a safe and healthy working environment
• Risk assessments
• Training and information
• Health and safety policies
• Reporting accidents and incidents
• Investigating accidents and incidents
• Enforcing health and safety law

Common Mistakes People Make

When it comes to health and safety there are a number of mistakes businesses regularly make and this could seriously put yourself or others in danger. Health and safety should be taken seriously and some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to health and safety are:

• Assuming - People assume health and safety is easy and they know what to do, but you should always consider having the measures you put in place checked by a professional to ensure they are up to standard.
• Messy Workplaces - Yes we all build up mess, it’s quite natural. But in the workplaces disorganised and messy workplaces are an accident waiting to happen.
• Training - If you know health and safety that’s great but does everyone that works for you? The right training will help to ensure everyone knows how to behave in the workplace.
• Testing and Maintenance - There are a number of tests and checks that need to be carried out regularly, these are PAT tests, EICRs and other related tests. If you don’t have these in place, then you could find yourself coming up short when it comes to health and safety.
• Mental Health - One of the biggest things people forget about is the people themselves, and their mental health could be dangerous to their health and safety. If you put too much pressure on people or don’t have regular catch ups, people could be struggling and you wouldn’t even know. It’s now recommended that at the management team in businesses have some form of mental health training.