Describe your health and safety concern at work and get instant plain English guidance on your rights and employer obligations — checked against official sources.
↓ Try the Checker NowEmployers have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment, adequate training, protective equipment and risk assessments: under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in England, Wales and Scotland (enforced by HSE and councils), and the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 in Northern Ireland (enforced by HSENI and district councils). Fatal and specified injuries must be reported immediately under RIDDOR.
In Great Britain, injuries causing more than 7 days' incapacity must be reported within 15 days. Your employer must not treat you worse for leaving work, or refusing to go back, where you reasonably believed the danger was serious and imminent and you could not reasonably have avoided it.
Key areas covered: RIDDOR, health and safety, employer duties, PPE, risk assessment, HSE, workplace injury. Checked against official sources.
You can refuse to work, or leave your workplace, if you reasonably believe there's serious and imminent danger to your health and safety — this protection applies from day one, with no minimum length of service, and covers genuine, reasonably-held beliefs even if the danger later turns out to be less severe than first thought.
Employers must report certain injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences to the HSE — including injuries causing more than 7 days off work. If you believe a reportable incident hasn't been reported, you can raise this directly with your employer or report it to the HSE yourself.
This checker gives you a plain English read on your specific situation, answered only from its own guide for your part of the UK, checked against official sources. No login needed, and your answer is generated instantly based on what you tell us.
Our guidance covers many common situations, but complex or high-stakes cases need professional advice. For employment issues, contact ACAS in England, Wales and Scotland (0300 123 1100) or the Labour Relations Agency in Northern Ireland (03300 555 300). For free general advice, contact Citizens Advice (England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020), Citizens Advice Scotland (0800 028 1456) or Advice NI (0800 915 4604). For urgent housing problems in England, Shelter can help on 0808 800 4444.
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Describe your employment situation and we'll check your rights
Tip: Focus on one issue at a time for the clearest answer. If you have multiple issues, run them separately for a full picture on each one.
Include what the danger is, what your employer has asked you to do, what you have done about it, and anything that has happened since.
Pick the closest one — any boxes you need will appear below.
Free · Guidance only, not legal advice
Am I entitled to redundancy pay?
Employees with at least 2 years of continuous employment are entitled to statutory redundancy pay. The amount depends on age, length of service and weekly pay. For redundancies from 6 April 2026, a week of pay is capped at £751 in England, Wales and Scotland (maximum £22,530) and at £783 in Northern Ireland (maximum £23,490).
What is unfair dismissal?
Unfair dismissal is when an employer dismisses an employee without a fair reason or without acting fairly in how they do it. In England, Wales and Scotland you currently need at least 2 years of continuous employment to claim ordinary unfair dismissal, or at least 6 months where the employment ends on or after 1 January 2027. In Northern Ireland you need at least 1 year.
When is statutory sick pay paid?
From 6 April 2026, statutory sick pay (SSP) is paid from the first full day of sickness absence, in Northern Ireland as well as in England, Wales and Scotland. It is £123.25 a week, or 80% of your average weekly earnings (normal weekly earnings in Northern Ireland) if that is lower. In England, Wales and Scotland it is paid for up to 28 weeks.
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✉️ Generate My Letter Free →The checker answers only from the guide for the nation you choose, plus what you tell it. If your question is not covered there, it says so instead of guessing. Each guide was checked against primary sources on 24 September 2026.
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Directed and published by Matt Thompson, founder of UK Work Rights. Guidance checked against GOV.UK, ACAS and legislation.gov.uk. This is general rights guidance, not legal advice.
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