HSE’s regulatory approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI and HSE’s regulatory remit

HSE regulates AI in a way that aligns with our mission and priorities.

HSE’s role in regulating AI includes:

  • regulating the use of AI where it impacts on health and safety in workplaces where HSE is the enforcing authority
  • regulating the use of AI in design, manufacture and supply of workplace machinery, equipment and products for use in the workplace as a Market Surveillance Authority under the Product Safety regulatory framework
  • where AI impacts on HSE’s role to protect people and places

Health and safety law

Most health and safety legislation enforced by HSE arises from the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which sets objectives to be achieved without prescribing how to achieve them. The goal-setting nature of this legislation means it is applicable regardless of the technology being used and so includes the use of AI in the workplace.  

Assess and manage risks from AI in the workplace

The central principle of health and safety law is that those who create risks are best placed to manage and control that risk in a sensible, proportionate, and pragmatic way. As benchmarks develop for the use of AI, we want to reach a point where AI risk is no longer novel and is managed in the same way as any other risk.

Health and safety legislation requires a risk assessment to be undertaken for uses of AI which impact on workplace health and safety and appropriate controls to be put in place to reduce risk so far as is reasonably practicable. This should include addressing cyber security threats.

Understanding the impact of AI on health and safety

AI is rapidly developing in capability and is a transformative technology. It can create and exacerbate health and safety risk but also has the potential to bring real benefits for health and safety. HSE has undertaken work to explore how AI is used in HSE Regulated Sectors, identifying key areas, and will use this to increase understanding of how AI impacts on health and safety.

HSE’s regulatory approach is risk-based and proportionate, to protect people and places, while enabling innovation and growth. HSE is experienced at helping Great Britain adapt safely to technological changes in the workplace and in consultation with industry, routinely deal with innovation in the areas we regulate.

Developing HSE’s regulatory approach to AI

To support the development of HSE’s regulatory approach to AI, we are:

  • co-ordinating work on AI, sharing knowledge and identifying key issues through an internal common interest group, bringing together colleagues from across HSE
  • working with government departments to shape the approach to AI regulation
  • collaborating with other regulators, though forums including the UK Regulators and the United Kingdom Health and Safety Regulators Network AI and Innovation Sub-Group, to encourage a consistent regulatory approach
  • engaging with stakeholders to communicate HSE’s regulatory approach to AI and understand sector specific issues
  • contributing to the development of benchmarks to enable industry to use AI safely, including involvement in international standards development and working with industry stakeholders on safety of AI technologies
  • building our capability and experience in AI across specialist and scientific areas of HSE and working with industry and academic partners as appropriate
  • identifying AI developments of interest to HSE through horizon scanning and monitoring national and international AI developments , from a practical and regulatory perspective 
  • supporting research bids that align with HSE’s areas of research interest (on GOV.UK) and help develop safe use of AI and the ability to regulate AI use
  • sharing emerging advances and lessons learned to support safe adoption of AI, through international scientific partnerships and networks

To increase understanding of the impact of AI on health and safety and enable safe use, we have:

Future work to develop our regulatory approach and enable safe use of AI

The key focus for work in 2026/27 will include:

  • regulation, guidance and standards
    • providing clarity on how health and safety regulation applies to AI through the development and publication of new guidance
    • engaging with the Office for Product Safety and Standards on the development of the Product Safety Review, including regulation of AI
    • working with industry to enable the use of emerging technologies, within the existing regulatory framework, such as evaluating pesticide spraying equipment that uses AI to identify targets in 'real time
    • launching a public consultation seeking views on possible amendments to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, including features stakeholders would like to see in a digital reporting service
  • research and trials
    • investigating innovative approaches to responsible data sharing, including working with third parties, creation of dashboards and provision of anonymised data feeds
    • working with Department for Business and Trade to pilot a proposal for applying an Open Regulation Document Standard (ORDS), a common set of metadata to describe online documents, to a sample of HSE's regulatory guidance, so it is easier for businesses to integrate into their systems and stay up to date
    • exploring the establishment of an innovation hub with industry, using a sandbox approach, to support new technology applications, including those with an AI component, being brought to market
    • investigating the impacts of cognitive offloading on human performance, in the major hazard and critical infrastructure industries, through the ThinkSHARP Cognitive Resilience in AI-Augmented Safety Decision Making research

HSE will continue work to develop the regulatory approach to AI, working with stakeholders as AI develops and using HSE’s expertise to explore the challenges and opportunities it brings.

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2026-06-04