Simply Put – New Guidance For Self-Employed Workers

Simply Put

New Guidance For Self-Employed Workers

The 2011 Löfstedt Review has led to changes in legislation for the self-employed. It recommended that self-employed people whose work does not pose a potential risk of harm to others should be exempt from health and safety law. This has since been accepted by the government.

As of 1 Oct 2015, this has come into affect and if your self-employed work poses no potential health and safety to other workers or members of the public, then health and safety law no longer applies to you. The HSE has estimated that H&S law will no longer apply to around 1.7 million self-employed workers.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (General Duties of Self-Employed Persons) (Prescribed Undertakings) Regulations 2015 state that health and safety law will still apply to you if your work is specifically mentioned in the regulations, or if your work activity poses a risk to the health and safety of others. If you’re self-employed and employ others, the law will still apply to you.

The HSE defines ‘a risk to the health and safety of others’ as the likelihood of someone else being harmed or injured as a consequence of your work activity. This could be, for example, members of the public, clients or contractors etc.

This is a complex area, and you can find more information on the topic – including an employment status guide – from the HSE here >>