Every employer in the UK has a legal obligation to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees. This is a legal requirement — and a failure to meet it can give rise to a compensation claim if a worker is injured as a result.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
The primary piece of legislation is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This Act places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of all their employees.
'So far as is reasonably practicable' means employers must weigh the risk against the cost and difficulty of controlling it. The law does not require employers to eliminate every conceivable risk — but it does require them to take sensible, proportionate steps.
What employers are required to do
Risk assessments
Employers must carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments of activities that could cause injury. If you were injured and your employer had not carried out a proper risk assessment, that failure may be relevant to your claim.
Training and supervision
Employers must provide adequate training and supervision to ensure workers can carry out their jobs safely. This is particularly important for new employees, young workers, and anyone asked to carry out an unfamiliar task.
Personal protective equipment
Where risks cannot be fully controlled by other means, employers must provide appropriate PPE — hard hats, safety boots, gloves, goggles, hearing protection — free of charge.
Safe equipment and machinery
Employers must ensure all work equipment is suitable, properly maintained, and used safely. This duty arises under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
Manual handling
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require employers to avoid hazardous manual handling where possible, assess remaining manual handling tasks, and take steps to reduce injury risk.
Reporting and recording
Employers have a duty to record workplace accidents in an accident book and, in certain circumstances, to report them to the HSE under RIDDOR 2013.
What may happen if an employer failed to protect you
If your employer failed to take these steps and you were injured as a result, you may have grounds for a compensation claim. The key questions are: what should the employer have done? Did they fall short? Did that failure cause your injury? These are legal questions requiring proper assessment.