In the United Kingdom there are many regulations relevant to safety and health at work. Many of these give effect to European Union directives.
Regulations made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Breach of the regulations is a crime throughout the UK. In England and Wales contravention is punishable on summary conviction or on indictment with an unlimited fine. Either an individual or a corporation can be punished and sentencing practice is published by the Sentencing Guidelines Council.
In England and Wales, a person who suffered damage caused by a breach of the regulations, used to have a cause of action in tort against the offender. However, s69 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 repealed this right of action. This prevents a defendant for claiming damages against an employer for contravention of an absolute duty. Instead, they must now prove that the employer was negligent as with other torts. A similar right of action exists in Scotland through the law of delict.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002 (CHIP) (gives effect to EU Directive 67/548/EEC)
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013
Transport of Dangerous Goods (Safety Advisers) Regulations 1999
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
The Control of Noise at Work regulations 2005
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
The Control of Asbestos regulations 2012
Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002
Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015
Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002
Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations 1987
Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999
Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997
The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001
The Work at Height Regulations 2005
A full list of all UK Health & Safety legislation can be found on the HSE website
Registration REACH in the UK is planned for 8 November.
