Despite having a robust legal framework in place, the United Kingdom (UK) continues to evolve its approach to workplace safety. In 2025 and beyond, several potential changes are anticipated—ranging from enhanced fire safety management for high-rise buildings to stronger employer obligations in non-traditional work settings such as remote and hybrid work environments. Proposed amendments to the Equality Act aim to elevate standards around mental health protections, while a new legal duty may soon hold employers explicitly liable for third-party harassment—where an employee is harassed by someone outside the organisation, such as a client or customer.

Every employer in the UK, regardless of size, industry or risk profile has a legal duty to ensure that the workplace is safe for all employees and visitors. Workplace safety in the UK is governed by a robust set of subordinate legislations emanating primarily from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSW). It is worth mentioning about the role played by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as well, which is the primary regulatory body responsible for enforcing workplace health and safety laws in the UK. HSE goes beyond the letter of law and provides the much-needed guidance to implement compliance and what all employers need to do to remain compliant.

In this post, we break down the core health and safety duties that UK employers must comply with, regardless of industry or organisation size.

• The foremost requirement is to provide safe, healthy and risk-free workplaces for employees on an ongoing basis. This includes assessing risks, maintaining safe systems of work and facilities, providing necessary training and supervision.

• Upon employing five or more employees, Employers must prepare and maintain a written Health and Safety Policy for the management of health and safety of workers by writing down the general policy and delegating the responsibilities on people responsible to undertake measures to ensure health and safety of workers. The policy and changes to it must be shared with employees.

• Obtain and maintain Employers’ Liability (EL) insurance Policy of at least 5 million pounds from an authorised insurer for injury or disease suffered by employee/s arising during employment.

• Display the HSE-approved Health and Safety Law Poster in a readable condition at a visible location accessible to employees. Alternatively, employers may provide each employee with the latest HSE-approved leaflet or pocket card. In either case, the materials must include details of the enforcing authority and the employment medical advisory service for the premises. Updates must be made whenever revised versions are issued by HSE.

• Appoint one or more competent persons to assist in meeting their health and safety duties from employer themselves, someone within the organisation, or, if necessary, an external expert.

• Employers who are employing employees with workstations should conduct risk assessment of the workstations and Display Screen Equipment (DSE) for ensuring health and safety of the employees by fixing daily work routines of users to include breaks or changes of activities and meeting the minimum health and safety requirements for workstations. Additionally, arrange and pay for eyes and eyesight test for users and prospective users on request by the users.

• Report injuries including death of the worker/non workers, dangerous occurrences, occupational diseases, exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and biological agents, offshore diseases and gas-related injuries and hazards to the Authority and maintain a record of each of the incidents.

• Impart adequate health and safety training to employees at the time of recruitment, when roles or risks change and repeated periodically where necessary. Maintain training records and consult employees on the effectiveness of the training provided.

• Ensure suitable working environment by maintaining workplace cleanliness, providing safe workstations, ensuring sufficient lighting and proper ventilation and ensuring adequate access to clean drinking water.

• Always provide and maintain adequate and appropriate first-aid facilities for employees who are injured or become ill at work. This includes assessing first-aid needs based on the nature of work, supplying a properly stocked British Standard (BS) 8599 compliant first-aid kit, ensuring regular maintenance, and providing accessible first-aid rooms where necessary.

• Provide information to employees and their safety representatives of the risks at the workplace and the measures undertaken to prevent such risk.

• Provide readily accessible workplace for disabled persons.

• Take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees and or contract workers.

• Display ‘No Smoking’ signs in all smoke-free premises on an ongoing basis. Smoking is prohibited in enclosed workplaces as such employers must ensure compliance by clearly displaying signs and prohibiting smoking indoors.

• Provide and maintain sufficient fire evacuations.

Aside of the compliance obligations which cut across all sectors, there are industry specific legislations such as Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 which mandate employers to take steps to provide safety helmets, gloves, eye or hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and harnesses to employees for high-risk job, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 requires employers to take step to control exposure of employees to hazardous substances such as dusts, gases or fumes and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 which ensures that employers avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling.

In a nutshell the UK laws on health and safety not only strive to protect employees from physical injury but also ensure they are treated with dignity, provided with proper facilities, and supported in a safe, inclusive and respectful environment. From legal rights to adequate workplace facilities such as clean restrooms and well-lit spaces, to protections against victimization, discrimination and harassment employers have a duty to foster a workplace culture that values both well-being and awareness. Considering the ever-evolving laws in the UK, Businesses need to stay informed on any new legal development and review their existing policies and systems to ensure they are compliant.

Lexplosion Solutions Private Limited offers a powerful compliance automation platform named Komrisk. Designed to simplify compliance management, Komrisk provides all applicable compliances in the form of actionable tasks and enables businesses to track, manage, and monitor all regulatory obligations in real-time, including those related to the automated alerts for declaration requirements, maintain a vast repository of all the essential forms/documents essential for audits. With features like automated alerts, compliance calendars, centralized documentation, and audit readiness tools, Komrisk empowers companies to proactively stay compliant, reduce legal risk, and respond quickly to regulatory changes.

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Authored by: Antara Dasgupta & AYUSHI KARMAKAR

Disclaimer

The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. We are not a law firm and are not authorized to practice law in your jurisdiction. Laws and regulations are complex and constantly changing, and information that may be true in one jurisdiction may not apply in another. Before acting on any information you read here, you should consult with a qualified lawyer practicing in the relevant jurisdiction for your specific legal issues or concerns. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we make no guarantees that the information on this blog is completely current or error-free. We disclaim any liability for any actions taken or not taken based on the information on this blog.

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