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Does health and safety legislation apply to volunteers?

Health and safety legislation doesn't generally apply to someone who is not an employer, self-employed or an employee.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) and the regulations made under it apply if any organisation (including a voluntary organisation) has at least one employee.

The HSW Act sets out the general duties that employers have towards employees. It also requires employers and the self-employed to protect people other than those at work (eg members of the public, volunteers, clients and customers) from risks to their health and safety arising out of, or in connection with, their work activities.

You can find more information at the Voluntary organisations site[24].

Link URLs in this page

  1. Contact HSEhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/index.htm
  2. Is HSE the correct enforcing authority?https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/authority.htm
  3. Ways to contact HSEhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/contact.htm
  4. FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/index.htm
  5. Report an incident - RIDDORhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm
  6. Overview - Tell us about a health and safety issuehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/tell-us-about-a-health-and-safety-issue.htm
  7. What happens after you report an issue?https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/after-you-report-a-problem.htm
  8. Whistleblowershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/whistleblowers.htm
  9. HSE formshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/forms/index.htm
  10. Overview - HSE officeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/index.htm
  11. East & South Easthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/eastsoutheast.htm
  12. Londonhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/london.htm
  13. Midlandshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/midlands.htm
  14. North Westhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/northwest.htm
  15. Scotlandhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/scotland.htm
  16. Wales & South Westhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/waleswest.htm
  17. Yorkshire & North Easthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/maps/yne.htm
  18. International and overseas visits to HSEhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/visit.htm
  19. Overview - Complaintshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/complain-about-hse.htm
  20. Complaints about regulatory advicehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/regulatory-complaints.htm
  21. HSE’s regulation of higher hazard workplace and activitieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/regulatory-complaintshazard.htm
  22. Freedom of Information (FOI)https://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/index.htm
  23. Confidentialityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/confidentiality.htm
  24. Voluntary organisations sitehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/voluntary/index.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

RIDDOR
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013

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Updated 2022-08-10