Limits on working hours, rest from work and paid annual holidays

HSE, local authorities and ACAS all play a part in enforcing the Working Time Regulations.

HSE and local authorities enforce weekly working hours, restrictions on night work and health assessments.

Entitlements such as daily/weekly rest periods, in-work breaks and paid annual leave are enforced through complaint to Employment Tribunals. An Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) public enquiry point will provide advice on entitlements.

The Working Time Regulations 1999 (as amended) apply to all workers, with some additional provisions available for young workers (below 18 years but above the MSLA). This guidance contains a full list of local ACAS telephone numbers.

Briefly, young workers have special rights under the Working Time Regulations. The rights of young workers - those over the minimum school leaving age but under 18 and those under the minimum school age on approved work experience schemes - differ in the following ways:

• a limit of eight hours working time a day and 40 hours a week (unless there are special circumstances);
• not to work either between 10pm and 6am or between 11pm and 7am (except in certain circumstances);
• 12 hours' rest between each working day;
• two days' weekly rest and a 30-minute in-work rest break when working longer than four and a half hours.

If, on any day, or, as the case may be, during any week, a young worker is employed by more than one employer, his working time shall be determined by aggregating the number of hours worked by him for each employer. For these purposes a week starts at midnight between Sunday and Monday  (NB school or college time does not count as work unless it is part of job related training).