Health and safety at work: What are your employees’ responsibilities?

Health and safety at work is a shared responsibility between employers and anyone who works for them. In the UK, employee responsibilities are shaped by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which sets out what employees must do to protect themselves and others at work.

This article explains what employees are responsible for, how those responsibilities apply in practice, and how employers should support them.

 

Skip to:

• What are your employees’ health and safety rights?

• What are your employees’ health and safety responsibilities?

• How to develop an effective health and safety policy for your employees

• Set clear expectations for employee health and safety responsibilities

• FAQs about employee responsibilities for health and safety

 

What are your employees’ health and safety rights?

 

Every employee has the right to work in an environment where their employer effectively manages risks to their health, safety, and wellbeing. These rights apply whether someone works on site, from home, or across different locations.

UK health and safety law requires employers to take reasonable steps to protect their employees from harm at work. The Health and Safety Executive explains that employers should provide:

 

• A safe working environment, where hazards are identified and risks are reduced as much as possible

• Clear information and guidance about workplace risks and how to work safely

• Appropriate training and supervision, so employees understand health and safety expectations

• Safe equipment and systems of work, including protective equipment

• Facilities that support health and wellbeing, such as access to toilets, drinking water, and rest areas

• A way for employees to raise health and safety concerns, hazards, incidents, or near misses without fear of being treated unfairly

 

Employees also have the right for their employer to speak to them about health and safety matters that impact them, particularly if new risks arise or when working practices change. These rights set the foundation for safe behaviour at work.

 

What are your employees' health and safety responsibilities?

In partnership with their employer, employees also play a key role in maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. According to guidance in the Health and Safety Executive, employees have the following responsibilities to support one another and prevent accidents at work.

1. Taking reasonable care

Employees are expected to take reasonable care of their own occupational health and safety and avoid putting themselves or others at risk. What “reasonable” looks like will vary depending on the role, the work environment, and the health and safety risks involved.

Here are some examples of personal health and safety duties in different job roles:

• Office administrators should use electrical equipment as instructed and adjust seating and screens to reduce the risk of strain or back problems.

• Warehouse operatives must keep walkways and storage areas clear, follow safe manual handling procedures, and use the provided lifting equipment to prevent injuries.

• Field or site-based workers should follow site safety rules, wear personal protective equipment, and check the area for obvious hazards before starting work.

To support employees in taking reasonable care, employers should complete workplace risk assessments to identify potential risks and take steps to remove or avoid them.

2. Co-operating with their employer

Employees must fully commit to an employer’s health and safety arrangements. This includes:

• Following relevant health and safety rules, for example, keeping fire doors closed, tying back long hair, and removing jewellery

• Completing or refreshing health and safety training

• Wearing any necessary protective clothing or equipment

• Using safety guards or barriers as intended, rather than bypassing them

• Reporting safety concerns by following the instructions in their health and safety documentation

3. Using work equipment correctly

Employees must use their work equipment correctly to reduce the risk of injury, damage, or accidents. In day-to-day terms, this means:

• Using machinery and tools as trained, and not removing or bypassing safety features

• Operating work vehicles safely, following site rules and road traffic laws where relevant

• Checking equipment for obvious faults before use and reporting problems straight away

• Not using the equipment if it appears unsafe, damaged, or unsuitable for the task

Employees shouldn’t attempt any repairs or adjustments unless they’re trained and authorised to do so. If the equipment doesn’t feel safe to use, or the instructions aren’t clear, it’s important to raise this before continuing with the task.

4. Not interfering with any health and safety equipment

Health and safety equipment reduces risks and protects people in emergencies. Employees shouldn’t interfere with or misuse any equipment that supports health and safety. This applies even if the equipment feels inconvenient or gets in the way of day-to-day work. For example, employees shouldn’t:

• Cover, remove, or ignore health and safety signs or warning notices

• Tamper with fire safety equipment, such as smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, or fire doors

• Disable safety features on machinery, alarms, or monitoring systems

• Block emergency exits, walkways, or access to safety equipment

5. Safeguarding others

While your employees need to look after their own health and safety in the workplace, they also need to check that their actions don’t put anyone else in danger. This could include:

• Properly storing equipment

• Cleaning up spills and hazardous substances immediately

• Following safety procedures

• Operating machinery safely

Effective health and safety training makes it clear what’s expected of employees in their role and within their organisation, and how their actions impact others.

6. Speaking up if something is wrong

Employees should immediately report any workplace hazards they notice. For example, they might notice a loose wire in a plug socket next to their desk, wet floors, uneven surfaces, or cluttered corridors.

Workers should also report any instances where they notice their colleagues interfering with health and safety equipment. It might feel uncomfortable to raise concerns like these, but it’s a legal obligation that could protect them and others.

How to develop an effective health and safety policy for your employees

UK employers with five or more employees are legally required to have a written health and safety policy that sets out responsibilities and arrangements for managing risk. A clear and practical health and safety policy helps everyone understand how workplace safety is managed. It doesn’t need to be long or complicated, but it does need to reflect how your organisation actually operates.

To create an effective health and safety policy, it helps to break it down into a few simple steps.

1. Set out your commitment to health and safety

Start with a short statement explaining your approach to health and safety and why it matters to your business. This shows employees that you take safety seriously and don’t treat it as a tick-box exercise.

2. Clarify roles and responsibilities

Overall responsibility for health and safety always sits with the employer - the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require businesses to appoint a competent person as a health and safety representative. This might be the business owner, a manager, an HR or operations lead, or an external adviser, depending on the organisation's size and structure.

To satisfy health and safety regulations, your policy should describe:

• Who the competent person is and what they’re responsible for

• Who employees should speak to if they have a health and safety concern or need advice

• What managers should do to support safe working

• What’s expected of employees, including following safety procedures and raising concerns

Setting this out clearly helps everyone understand their role and allows health and safety issues to be resolved quickly and consistently.

3. Explain how risks are managed day to day

Day-to-day risk management helps employees make safe decisions at the right time. Your health and safety policy should explain what happens when a safety issue comes up, including who will assess the risk.

For example, if an employee is asked to work alone or from a different location than usual, the policy should explain how the risks will be evaluated and what support is available.

4. Outline the importance of risk assessments

By law, employers must use risk assessments to identify potential hazards and decide how to reduce or control certain risks in the workplace. The health and safety policy should make it clear:

• Who completes risk assessments, such as a manager, the appointed competent person, or an external adviser

• When to review risk assessments, for example, after changes to work practices, equipment, or locations

• How employees should contribute, including providing information or completing self-assessments where appropriate

For example, employees working from home may be asked to complete a home or DSE self-assessment, while pregnant employees are expected to notify their employer so they can complete a maternity risk assessment.

5. Communicate your policy and keep it up to date

A health and safety policy only works if employees know it exists and understand how it applies to them. Follow good communication practices by:

• Sharing the policy during onboarding, so new starters understand health and safety expectations from day one

• Including it in staff handbooks or internal systems, where employees can easily find it when they need to

• Revisiting key points during training, team briefings, or one-to-one conversations, especially where roles involve higher risk

Breathe’s recent article on the 6 signs health and safety is slipping in your growing SME explored SME employees' confidence in health and safety, and the results found that employees who receive health and safety training during onboarding and receive regular refresher courses feel more confident in their responsibilities. Unfortunately, though, 43% hadn’t received any follow-up training since onboarding.

Alongside employee education, employers should also review and update their health and safety policy whenever the business changes. This might include changes to working arrangements, new equipment, or locations, or after an incident or near miss that highlights a gap.

This is another key area many busy SMEs struggle with - in Breathe’s survey, 45% of the managers and leaders said that one or more key health and safety documents weren’t up to date.

Set clear expectations for employee health and safety responsibilities

While health and safety laws generally rest on the employer, that doesn't mean workers are off the hook. For employers, it's important to set clear rules, measures, and policies for your employees to follow. But as far as the government guidance is concerned, it's the employee's job to follow the rules once they've been set out.

That's why adequate training is so important. If you can demonstrate you've done your own due diligence and given employees clear safety measures to follow, there's a good chance you’re meeting your legal obligations.

If you’re interested in learning more about how SMEs handle their H&S responsibilities, our on-demand webinar, How safe are you, really? SME health and safety risks in 2026, explores where these gaps tend to emerge and how to spot them early.

FAQs about employee responsibilities for health and safety

Who health and safety responsibilities lie with employees?

Employees are responsible for taking reasonable care of their own safety at work and avoiding actions that could put others’ health at risk.

This might include following health and safety instructions, using equipment correctly, wearing protective equipment, and raising concerns if something isn’t safe. These responsibilities apply whether someone works on site, from home, or across different locations.

What are section 7 employees' duties?

Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets out employees’ legal duties around health and safety. Under Section 7, employees must:

• Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others

• Co-operate with their employer to meet health and safety requirements

These duties apply to all employees, regardless of role or seniority.

What are the consequences of employees ignoring health and safety?

Employees who don’t follow health and safety procedures can face disciplinary action and risk serious harm to themselves or others. For employers, the consequences can be even more severe, from legal action and hefty fines to reputational damage and team morale.

But it’s not just about avoiding penalties. A workplace that prioritises safety shows care, builds trust, and helps people do their best work. When you put the right support in place, everyone benefits, and your business is stronger for it.

Can employees be prosecuted for safety violations?

Yes, in some cases, employees can be prosecuted for health and safety violations, but this is relatively rare.

Prosecution usually only applies where an employee has acted recklessly, deliberately ignored safety measures, or put others at serious risk. In most situations, the focus is on prevention and providing guidance aimed at addressing issues early rather than punishment.