🔧 This checker is having issues — our team has been notified. Please try again or check back later.
⚖ Important — Please Read Before Continuing
Scroll to the bottom to accept the disclaimer and access the tool
Scroll down to read the full disclaimer before accepting
1. This is guidance — and only ever guidance
Everything produced by ukworkrights.co.uk is general guidance. It is not legal advice. It is not a substitute for advice from a qualified solicitor. Never treat it as the final word — use it as a starting point, then check and take responsibility for any action you take.
2. AI can make mistakes
The guidance is generated by artificial intelligence. AI can and does make mistakes — wrong dates, wrong figures, wrong legal references, missed nuances. Read everything carefully. If the matter is serious, get it checked by ACAS, Citizens Advice, or a qualified solicitor before acting on it.
3. Verified figures and guidance sources
Statutory figures (such as rates for minimum wage, SSP, redundancy, pension contributions, council tax bands, flight compensation amounts, and benefit rates) are verified against GOV.UK, ACAS, Citizens Advice, and relevant regulatory bodies. Laws and rates change regularly. Always verify important figures at gov.uk before making decisions or taking action.
4. What happens to what you type
The situation you describe is sent to Anthropic, the provider of the AI model that writes your guidance. Anthropic is based in the United States, so your text is transferred outside the UK under the safeguards set out in our Privacy Policy. Anthropic acts on our instructions and does not use your text to train its models. It deletes the text automatically within 30 days, unless its safety systems flag it for possible misuse, in which case it can be kept for up to 2 years. We do not store the text you type once your session ends. The report written for you is kept for up to 90 days so we can check its accuracy — it carries no name or email address, but it may repeat details of your situation.
Because you describe your own situation in your own words, what you type may include information that data protection law treats as especially sensitive — for example health, disability, mental health, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, trade union membership, or criminal convictions and allegations. By ticking the box below you are giving your explicit consent to that information being processed in this way. You can withdraw at any time by not submitting a check.
Please do not include your name, address, or anyone else’s personal details. The checkers do not need them, and leaving them out protects you. Your report is written in neutral, plain English rather than repeating informal language, slang or strong emotion from your description.
5. Your responsibility
By using this service you accept that you will treat all output as general guidance only, verify important information with official sources, and seek professional legal advice for serious or complex matters. ukworkrights.co.uk and UK Work Rights Ltd accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from your use of or reliance on this service.
Energy Ombudsman — Energy disputes: energyombudsman.org
NHS — Healthcare guidance: nhs.uk
Veterans UK: 0808 1914 218
Jobcentre Plus (existing benefit claims): 0800 169 0310
For personal injury claims, immigration advice, criminal matters, or complex legal situations — always consult a regulated solicitor. Find one at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk or gov.uk/find-a-solicitor.
7. Scope of this service
This service covers a wide range of UK rights topics including employment, housing, benefits, consumer rights, driving, NHS complaints, data protection, tax, school rights, wills and probate, energy, travel, and more. For all topics, the guidance is general in nature. For regulated activities — including personal injury claims, immigration applications, criminal defence, and financial advice — you must use a regulated professional.
The law is not the same across the UK. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ — sometimes substantially — on housing, tribunals, employment procedure, benefits, education, and wills and probate. Your guidance is tailored to the nation you selected at the top of the page, so please make sure it is right before you rely on the answer. If you live in one nation and the matter arose in another, say so in your description. Where a rule applies in only part of the UK, the guidance should say so — if it does not, treat that as a reason to check with one of the services listed above.
Tell us what went wrong and we'll look into it. We'll be in touch as soon as we can.
Your name and email will only be used to respond to your report. See our Privacy Policy.
Share Your Feedback
Good or bad — we'd love to hear what you think. No strings attached.
Your feedback helps us make the site better for everyone. See our Privacy Policy.
🦺 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 verified: 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: Every employer must provide a safe workplace, safe equipment, safe systems of work, and adequate training — under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Risk assessments: Employers must assess and manage risks. Employees with 5+ colleagues must have a written health and safety policy.
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 and contact ACAS immediately.
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.
🦺 Check Your Health & Safety Rights
Describe your workplace situation and get guidance on your health and safety rights.
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 — dismissal for H&S whistleblowing is automatically unfair.
⚠ 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.
Comments
Comments are loading…
☕
Found this helpful?
UK Work Rights is completely free and always will be. If this guidance helped you, a small donation helps keep the site running and updated for everyone.