Provide for basic health, safety and welfare needs
You must provide a safe and healthy environment for all your employees. You also need to take account of their welfare needs. This includes people with disabilities.
For example, you must provide toilets, washing facilities and drinking water, and you need to consider things like lighting and temperature.
Does this affect my business?
There are legal requirements which apply to most workplaces: The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Some workplaces, such as construction worksites, are covered by separate HSE legislation.
If in doubt, please contact HSE Infoline on 0845 345 0055.
What employers need to do
This section provides a brief outline of the requirements. For further information on any of the listed topics please refer to HSE’s free leaflet INDG 244 Workplace, health, safety and welfare – A short guide for managers [175KB]
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Welfare facilities
Toilets, wash-hand basins, shower and washing facilities
You must provide:
- clean well-ventilated toilets (separate for men and women unless each convenience has its own lockable door);
- wash basins with hot and cold (or warm) running water;
- showers for dirty work which may result in contamination of the skin;
- soap and towels (or a hand drier).
Drinking water
You must provide an adaquate supply of high-quality drinking water, with and upward drinking jet or suitable cups. Drinking water does not have to be marked unless there is a significant risk of people drinking non-drinking water.
Accommodation for clothing and changing facilities
You must provide lockers or hanging space for clothing and changing facilities where special clothing is worn. The facilities should allow for drying clothes.
Facilities to rest and eat meals
You must provide rest facilities, including facilities for eating food. Suitable rest facilities should be provided for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
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Health issues
Ventilation
There must be good ventilation:
- A supply of fresh, clean air drawn from outside or ventilation systems. It must be uncontaminated and circulated throughout the workplace.
- Ventilation should also remove and dilute warm air and create air movement without draughts.
Temperature
In indoor workplaces, you must provide:
- a reasonable working temperature; usually at least 16°C, or 13°C for strenuous work (unless other laws require lower temperatures);
- local heating or cooling where a comfortable temperature cannot be maintained throughout each workroom, for example, hot and cold processes;
- thermal clothing and rest facilities where necessary, for example for ‘hot work’ or cold stores;
- heating systems which do not give off dangerous or offensive levels of fume into the workplace;
- sufficient space in workrooms.
Lighting
You must provide:
- good light; use natural light where possible, but try to avoid glare;
- a good level of local lighting at workstations where necessary;
- suitable forms of lighting. Some fluorescent tubes flicker and can be dangerous with some rotating machinery (because the rotating part can appear to have stopped).
Cleanliness and waste materials
You must:
- provide clean premises, furniture and fittings such as lights;
- provide clean floors and stairs, which are not slippery;
- provide containers for waste materials;
- remove dirt, refuse and trade waste regularly;
- clear up spillages promptly;
- keep internal walls and ceilings clean.
Room dimensions and space
Workrooms should have enough free space to move about easily. For guidance on room dimensions refer to leaflet INDG244:
Workstations and seating
Workstations must fit the worker and the work and people should be able to leave them swiftly in an emergency. Make sure that:
- seat back rests support the small of the back and you must provide foot rests if necessary;
- work surfaces are at a sensible height;
- there is easy access to controls on equipment.
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Safety issues
Maintenance of the workplace and work equipment
You must have:
- buildings and work equipment kept in good repair;
- space for safe movement and access, for example to machinery;
- safe glazing, if necessary, for example painted, toughened or thick, which is marked to make it easy to see;
- good drainage in wet processes;
- weather protection for outdoor workplaces, if practical;
- outdoor routes kept safe during icy conditions, for example salted/sanded and swept.
Floors and traffic routes
You must have:
- floors, corridors and stairs etc free of obstructions, for example trailing cables;
- surfaces which are not slippery;
- well-lit outside areas - this will also help security;
- safe passages for pedestrians and vehicles - the best approach is to keep vehicles and pedestrians apart using separate routes;
- level, even surfaces without holes or broken boards;
- hand-rails on stairs and ramps where necessary;
- safe doors, for example vision panels in swing doors, and safety devices on power doors.
Transparent and translucent doors, gates, walls and windows
Windows, transparent or translucent surfaces in walls, partitions, doors and gates should, where necessary to protect health and safety, be made of safety material or protected against breakage. They should be clearly marked if there is a danger people might collide with them.
Windows and safe cleaning
- You must have windows that can be cleaned safely.
- Openable windows should be designed to open safely and stop people falling out or bumping into them.
Escalators and moving walkways
Escalators and moving walkways should function safely, be equipped with any necessary safety devices and fitted with one or more emergency stop controls which are easily identifiable and accessible.
Relevant HSE free leaflets:
You can buy the following publications from HSE Books:
