Your rights and responsibilities

All workers are entitled to work in environments where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Under health and safety law, the primary responsibility for this is down to employers.

As a worker, you have a duty to take care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions. Health and safety legislation, therefore, requires employers and workers to cooperate.

If you have specific queries on health and safety in your workplace, first ask your manager, or if you prefer, your safety representative or trade union representative.

Your health and safety: A guide for workers provides further details of your rights and responsibilities.

• Are you covered by health and safety laws? gives more general information on how the law applies to you.
• Find out how the law applies to Agency workers and view the guidance that tells employment agencies and businesses using agency workers about their responsibilities
• All workers are entitled to rest breaks and paid holidays.
• If you are off sick from work and worried about your job, you can find out practical advice on what you can do, how your employer can help you and where to get more advice [PDF 91kb] .

If you are concerned about your health and safety at work then find out how we can help you. We treat all contacts in strictest confidence.

• If you think someone is breaking the law and you can’t get anybody in your organisation to take action, you can tell us and the law will protect you from victimisation.

For more details on your responsibilities and how health and safety law is meant to work, HSE has produced a booklet: Health and safety regulation: A short guide. You can also read Health and safety law: What you should know.