Health and safety offences

Health and safety law in the UK

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA 1974), supported by a raft of health and safety regulations, provides the legislative framework for ensuring that employees and non-employees are not exposed to risk from work activities in the UK. The general duties imposed by HSWA 1974 apply in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and many of the regulations equally apply across jurisdictions although Scotland and Northern Ireland also have jurisdiction specific regulations in some cases.

The Practice Note: Health and safety toolkit brings together resources from across LexisNexis® to provide insight and guidance on key health and safety duties imposed on employers, the self-employed, employees and directors in the UK. The toolkit also includes content which explains the scope of general and specific duties imposed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and non-employees, guidance on how health and safety breaches are investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities and information on the prosecution of health and safety offences in the UK and the approach the courts take to the