Solve a health and safety problem

If you are an employee, you have legal rights on health and safety, and your employer has responsibilities, whether you are on their premises or out in the community. 

Your rights as an employee

You have the right to:

• work in places where all the risks to your health and safety are properly controlled
• stop working and leave the area if you think you are in danger
• inform your employer about health and safety issues or concerns
• contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if you still have health and safety concerns, without getting into trouble
• a rest break of at least 20 minutes if you work more than six hours at a stretch and to an annual period of paid leave
• suitable and sufficient toilets, washing facilities and drinking water, and adequate first-aid facilities

The TUC and HSE have jointly produced a brief guide to your health and safety rights.

Your employer’s responsibilities

Your employer must:

• tell you how to do your job safely in a way that you can understand, and tell you about the risks to your health and safety from current or proposed working practices
• tell you how any risks will be controlled and who is responsible for this
• consult and work with health and safety representatives and employees to protect everyone from harm in the workplace
• tell you how to get first-aid treatment and what to do in an emergency

They must provide, free of charge: 

• training to enable you to do your job safely
• any equipment and protection necessary for you at work (such as clothing, shoes or boots, eye and ear protection, gloves, masks and so on) and ensure it is properly looked after
• health checks if there is a danger of ill health because of your work
• regular health checks if you work nights and a check before you start

Find more information in this TUC/HSE guide to employer responsibilities.

What to do if you are self-employed

If you are self-employed, you are responsible for providing your own first-aid arrangements, training, protective equipment and health checks, and for organising your own working time.

How to resolve an issue

The best person to help resolve any issues is your CSP health and safety rep. 

Talk to colleagues, as they may have a similar problem, and approach your line manager.

You can also contact the CSP.

Further information on health and safety is available on the HSE website.