Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

1 Preliminary. U.K.

(1) The provisions of this Part shall have effect with a view to—

(a) securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work;

(b) protecting persons other than persons at work against risks to health or safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work;

(c) controlling the keeping and use of explosive or highly flammable or otherwise dangerous substances, and generally preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of such substances; [F1 [F2 and]]

[F1 [F2 (d) controlling the emission into the atmosphere of noxious or offensive substances from premises of any class prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph.]]

(2) The provisions of this Part relating to the making of health and safety regulations F3 . . . and the preparation and approval of codes of practice shall in particular have effect with a view to enabling the enactments specified in the third column of Schedule 1 and the regulations, orders and other instruments in force under those enactments to be progressively replaced by a system of regulations and approved codes of practice operating in combination with the other provisions of this Part and designed to maintain or improve the standards of health, safety and welfare established by or under those enactments.

(3) For the purposes of this Part risks arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work shall be treated as including risks attributable to the manner of conducting an undertaking, the plant or substances used for the purposes of an undertaking and the condition of premises so used or any part of them.

(4) References in this Part to the general purposes of this Part are references to the purposes mentioned in subsection (1) above.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 1(1)(d) and preceding word repealed (16.12.1996 for E.W and otherwise prosp.) by 1990 c. 43, s. 162(2), 164(3), Sch. 16 Pt. I; S.I. 1996/3056, art. 2

F2 S. 1(1)(d) and preceding word repealed (S.) (26.2.2015) by The Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/374), arts. 1(1), 2(2)

F3 Words repealed by Employment Protection Act 1975 (c. 71), Sch. 18

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Ss. 1–25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 33, 34–59, 80, 81 and 82 applied by S.I. 1989/840, arts. 2–10

C2 Ss. 1-59, 80-82 applied (11.7.2001) by S.I. 2001/2127, arts. 4(1), 5(1)(2), 6(1), 7(1), 8(1), 10 (with art. 11) (as amended by S.I. 2009/1750, art. 2(2)(4))

C3 Ss. 1-59, 80-82 applied (temp.) (5.8.2009) by The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/2127), arts. 8A, 8B (as inserted by S.I. 2009/1750, art. 2(3))

C4 Ss. 1-59 applied by S.I. 2001/2127 art. 8A 8B (as inserted (E.W.S.) (6.4.2011) by The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain) (Variation) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/745), arts. 1(1), 3(2))

C5 S. 1(1)(c) extended (E.W.S.) (8.8.1996) by S.I. 1996/2075, reg. 2(1) (which amending provision was revoked (11.3.2002) by S.I. 2002/282, art. 4)

S. 1(1)(c) modified (E.W.S.) (11.3.2002) by S.I. 2002/282, art. 3

C6 S. 1(2) modified by Gas Act 1986 (c. 44, SIF 44:2), s. 67(3), Sch. 8 Pt. I para. 6(3)

C7 S. 1(3) applied by Companies Act 1985 (c. 6, SIF 27), s. 235(5), Sch. 7 Pt. IV para. 10(4)

C8 S. 1(3) applied (1.4.2014) by Energy Act 2013 (c. 32), ss. 69(3), 156(1) (with ss. 107, 111); S.I. 2014/251, art. 4