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🦺 Health & Safety Guide
Health & Safety at Work: Your Rights in 2026
Injured at work, worried about unsafe conditions, or facing pressure to work unsafely? This guide explains your legal rights under health and safety law — including your right to refuse dangerous work.
📅 Last reviewed: July 2026📚 Sources: GOV.UK, ACAS, HSE, Citizens Advice🇬🇧 Applies across the UK
⚖ Know Your Rights at a Glance
Right to refuse unsafe work: You can refuse work you reasonably believe poses serious and imminent danger. Your employer cannot discipline or dismiss you for this.
Employer duty: Health and safety law is different in Northern Ireland. In England, Wales and Scotland, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 says your employer must make sure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that you are safe and healthy at work. In Northern Ireland the same duty is in the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
Risk assessments: Your employer must assess the risks to your health and safety. It must also write down its health and safety policy, and how it carries the policy out, and make sure all employees know about it. Some small employers do not have to write it down.
RIDDOR: Employers must report certain workplace injuries, deaths and dangerous occurrences to the HSE.
PPE: If your role requires personal protective equipment, your employer must provide it free of charge.
Whistleblowing protection: Raising a genuine health and safety concern is a protected disclosure from day one — dismissal for doing so is automatically unfair.
Your core health and safety rights at work
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, every employer has a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees. This includes:
Safe plant and systems of work
Safe use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances
Adequate information, instruction, training and supervision
A safe place of work with safe access and exit
A safe working environment with adequate welfare facilities
Employers with 5 or more employees must have a written health and safety policy. You have the right to see it.
The right to refuse dangerous work
You have the legal right to leave your workplace and refuse to return if you reasonably believe there is serious and imminent danger that you could not reasonably be expected to avert. You must not be disciplined or dismissed for doing so.
This is a day-one right — no qualifying period applies. If your employer dismisses or detriments you for raising a health and safety concern or refusing dangerous work, the dismissal is automatically unfair and your claim for detriment has no qualifying period.
Reporting accidents and RIDDOR
Employers must report certain workplace incidents to the HSE under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013):
Deaths at work
Specified serious injuries (fractures, amputations, loss of sight, crush injuries)
Over-7-day incapacitation injuries (employee cannot do normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days)
Occupational diseases
Dangerous occurrences (near misses)
If you are injured at work, you should report it to your employer and ask for it to be recorded in the accident book. Keep a copy. This record is important for any future compensation claim.
Compensation for workplace injuries
If you are injured at work due to your employer's negligence or breach of statutory duty, you may be able to claim compensation. Key points:
Employers are required by law to have employers' liability insurance — they must be able to pay compensation if you are injured
Personal injury claims must generally be brought within 3 years of the injury or date of knowledge
For COSHH (chemical/substance exposure) claims, the time limit runs from when you knew or ought to have known about the injury
You can also make a claim via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) if injured as a result of a crime of violence at work
1
Report the hazard in writing immediately
Email your manager or safety rep. Note the date, exact hazard, and any previous reports. This creates a paper trail.
2
Contact your health and safety representative
If there is a union H&S rep, they can inspect the workplace and raise issues formally with the employer. This is a legal right.
3
Report to the HSE if your employer won't act
You can report health and safety concerns to the HSE at hse.gov.uk or 0300 003 1747. The HSE can inspect, issue improvement notices and prosecute.
4
Report to your local authority for some workplaces
Retail, offices, catering and leisure premises are regulated by your local council rather than the HSE.
5
Raise a grievance if you face detriment
If you are disciplined, dismissed or treated worse for raising H&S concerns, raise a formal grievance. In England, Wales and Scotland, you must notify Acas before most employment tribunal claims. In Northern Ireland, you must notify the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) before most industrial tribunal claims. Both are free, and notifying in time pauses the time limit.
6
Seek legal advice for personal injury claims
A specialist personal injury solicitor can advise on whether you have a claim. Many operate on a no-win no-fee basis.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refuse to do something unsafe at work?
Yes. If you reasonably believe there is serious and imminent danger, you can leave or refuse to return. Your employer cannot dismiss or discipline you for this — it is automatically unfair and a day-one right.
My employer has no health and safety policy — is that legal?
Employers with 5 or more employees must have a written H&S policy. If yours doesn't, report to the HSE.
I was injured at work — what should I do?
Report immediately to your employer and ensure it's recorded in the accident book. Seek medical attention. Keep records of your injury, treatment, and any impact on your earnings. Consider getting legal advice on a compensation claim within 3 years.
What is a risk assessment and am I entitled to see it?
A risk assessment identifies hazards and measures to control them. You have the right to be informed of the significant findings of risk assessments that affect you.
Can I contact the HSE anonymously?
Yes. You can report health and safety concerns to the HSE anonymously at hse.gov.uk/contact/concerns.
What PPE am I entitled to?
If your role requires PPE (hard hat, gloves, high-vis, safety boots etc.), your employer must provide it free of charge and ensure it is properly maintained.
My employer ignored my H&S concern and nothing changed — what next?
Escalate to the HSE or your local authority. If you face detriment for raising it, contact Acas (England, Wales and Scotland) or the Labour Relations Agency (Northern Ireland) — dismissal for H&S whistleblowing is automatically unfair.
Labour Relations Agency (Northern Ireland): 03300 555 300 | lra.org.uk
Citizens Advice: 0800 144 8848
TUC (trade union H&S): tuc.org.uk
⚠ Important disclaimer: This guide covers health and safety law across the UK as at July 2026. General legal information only — not legal advice. Verify with ACAS, GOV.UK or Citizens Advice before acting. ukworkrights.co.uk — Not a law firm.
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