The Health and Safety Executive has redesigned its webpages for self-employed workers to make it easier for them to understand when health and safety law applies and to find the guidance they need.
If you are self-employed, health and safety law applies to you if:
- you employ anyone – even temporarily, such as on a short-term contract
- your work activity poses a potential risk to the health and safety of others, for example using chemicals that could cause harm, creating noise, dust or fumes, or using equipment that could injure someone
- you do work involving 6 specific high-risk work activities covered by the law – this includes work:
- in construction
- in agriculture
- in operating a railway
- with gas
- involving asbestos
- with genetically modified organisms
The refreshed pages explain:
- when health and safety law applies
- deciding if your work activity creates a risk to others
- high-risk work activities that apply to self-employed workers
- how to comply with the law if it applies to you
