4. High-risk work activities that apply to the self-employed
There are 6 ‘prescribed’ high-risk activities carried out by self-employed people that can result in fatalities and serious injuries.
For these activities, health and safety law will still apply and you can find more detail in the General Duties of Self-Employed Persons (Prescribed Undertakings) Regulations (on legislation.gov.uk).
The types of high-risk work activities are set out in the sections below.
Working in agriculture
Agriculture (including forestry) means any work activity mentioned in regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations.
Agricultural activities mean all types of farming including arable and dairy, keeping livestock, grazing land, market gardening and forestry.
Check the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations (on legislation.gov.uk) to see if the work you do is included.
You can find HSE guidance on health and safety in agriculture.
Working in construction
This means any work activity mentioned in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
This includes any work which is carried out on a construction site, which means any place:
- where construction work is being carried out, or
- which workers have access to
It applies to both commercial sites and domestic premises.
Check the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (on legilsation.gov.uk) to see if the work you do is included.
There is guidance on health and safety in construction.
Work that involves asbestos
If your work activity involves asbestos, you are not exempt from health and safety law.
Further advice and guidance can be found in HSE’s asbestos web pages, or in the publication Managing and working with asbestos.
Working with gas
This means any work activity which is mentioned in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations.
Working with gas includes the installing, servicing, maintaining or repairing of any gas appliances or gas fittings both in domestic and commercial premises.
Landlords have specific responsibilities to their tenants on gas safety.
Check the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (on legislation.gov.uk) to see if the work you do is included.
HSE has more guidance on gas safety. It includes an explanation of landlords’ duties.
Working with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
You are not exempt from health and safety law if your work activity:
- involves GMOs within a research laboratory or a biotechnology production facility
- means GMOs are not released into the environment
Further advice and guidance can be found in HSE’s biosafety webpages on GMOs.
Working on a railway
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the health and safety regulator for railways in Great Britain. If you are self-employed, you might be involved is some of the following railway activities:
- using, cleaning, or repairing railway vehicles
- loading or unloading activities
- inspecting or repairing the railway’s infrastructure
- working with heritage railways
- coming into contact with older railway vehicles or parts which might still contain asbestos
You have a duty under the law to cooperate with transport operators, including on any safety-critical tasks carried out on the railway. You can check the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority for Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems) Regulations to find out what is included in ‘the operation of the railway’.
There is more guidance on ORR’s website.