The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. Commonly referred to as the HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act, or HASAWA, it outlines the general duties that employers have towards employees and the public, as well as the responsibilities employees have to themselves and each other.
Key points of the Act include:
- Employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees.
- Employers and self-employed individuals have duties to people other than their employees.
- Persons in control of work premises have duties towards people on those premises.
- The Act also establishes the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive, setting out their functions and powers.
