Introduction (805 words)

During the last year there have been some significant advances in health and safety law, in particular concerning civil liability, work-related driving, working time ...

1. The structure of health and safety law (3816 words)

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA), which came into force in 1975, aimed to ensure that virtually all workers in ...

2. The management of health and safety at work (2326 words)

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Management Regulations, SI 1999 No.3242) are important because they clarify how employers must comply ...

3. Safety reps and safety committees (3597 words)

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SRSCR, SI 1977 No.500) give recognised trade unions the legal right to appoint workplace safety representatives. ...

4. The workplace and the working environment (2975 words)

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Workplace Regulations, SI 1992 No.3004) lay down minimum standards for the workplace, the working environment and ...

5. Hazardous substances (5081 words)

The law on hazardous substances changed substantially in 2002 with the introduction of five new pieces of legislation. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ...

6. Equipment at work (2959 words)

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (DSE Regulations, SI 1992 No.2792) lay down the minimum safety and health requirements for work ...

7. Physical hazards at work (3933 words)

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (SI 1992 No.2793) apply wherever manual handling operations are carried out - that is physical lifting, carrying or ...

8. Hours of work (2847 words)

The 1996 European Union (EU) directive on working time was designed to protect workers' health and safety through legal limits on a maximum working ...

9. Reporting of accidents, injuries and ill health (2168 words)

When accidents happen at work, the law requires the more serious ones to be reported. Safety reps also have important legal rights to investigate ...

10. Stress, bullying and violence (1529 words)

Although there is no specific legislation aimed at controlling stress, bullying and violence at work, employers have legal duties under both statutory and common ...

Further information (484 words)

All regulations made since 1987 can be downloaded from the Stationery Office website at www.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm using the Statutory Instrument (SI) number given in the ...