All employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge if a risk assessment shows it is needed.
To stay safe, workers may have to wear PPE such as safety helmets, gloves, eye or hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and harnesses.
PPE also includes respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to prevent workers breathing in dust, mist, gas or fume.
You can find out more detail in our step guide Using personal protective equipment (PPE) to control risks at work. It includes guidance on:
- when to use PPE
- what the law says
- managing risk using PPE
We also have a downloadable copy of our guidance publication on PPE at work regulations.
Earlier this week was National Online Learning Day and a new feature has been added to the latest Working Minds learning module.
The new voice narration feature means you can now choose between listening or reading content or both.
Make sure you register, revisit or share details with others that the online learning is available and offers accessible, flexible learning to help businesses make stress-prevention routine.
With around half of all work-related ill health attributed to stress, depression and anxiety, the online learning provides practical guidance for employers on managing workplace stress effectively in an interactive and digestible way.
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reach out and have conversations
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recognise the signs and causes of stress
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respond to any risks identified by agreeing action points
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reflect on the actions taken – have things improved?
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make it routine to check back in on how things are going
Fines totalling £87,000 have been issued to 2 companies after failing to comply with high-hazard infectious agents regulations.
Both companies carried out work with high hazard infectious organisms such as Salmonella typhi, which can cause typhoid fever, without providing legally required advanced notification to the HSE.
HSE's investigation found that:
- key safety equipment had not been adequately maintained or tested frequently enough to confirm they were working properly and safely
- failures substantially increased the risk of exposure to not only those working in the lab but to the wider public
- high-hazard work continued over a period of about 7 months, before the company belatedly made HSE aware, ceased its operations, and initiated actions to remedy its shortcomings
Read more in our press release: Fine for companies following failures at high containment facility
Visit our news centre for more health and safety headlines, which include:
Free webinar
29 September, 10:30am
Occupational health services can help you prevent work-related ill health and ensure you get the best out of those workers whose health conditions can affect them doing their job.
Join HSE experts for this free webinar aimed at helping dutyholders get the correct OHS for their needs.
Register for the 'Ensuring you get the occupational health service (OHS) you need' webinar.
Free event
1 October, 1pm to 8pm, Manchester
Join the Thomas Ashton Institute (an HSE and University of Manchester partnership) and the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health to celebrate 80 years of occupational health research and training at the University of Manchester.
Highlights include lightning talks, panel discussions, and the Lane Lecture by Professor Malcolm Sim.
Get your tickets for the 80 Years of occupational health at the University of Manchester event.
We monitor and enforce legal requirements on the safety of most products used in the workplace, including any risks to health.
We have a duty to notify the Secretary of State about:
- unsafe or non-compliant products
- the measures taken and communicated by an economic operator
Products recalled or notified to HSE's Product Safety and Market Surveillance Unit, with a serious or high risk to the users, are published on GOV.UK's product safety alerts, reports and recalls webpage.
Recent examples of products notified are:
Find out more on our role as a market surveillance authority.
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