Employers must work alongside employees in ensuring appropriate health and safety measures are understood and carried out accordingly. Therefore, the information contained in this section pertains to both parties. Use this section to find out what your employer's responsibilities are to ensure that health and safety guidelines are met and what your obligations are as an employee. Below you will find a summary of the topics covered in this section. If you would like more information, then click on the appropriate link in the left-hand side of the page.

Employers have legal obligations to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. As an employee, you have rights, and you have responsibilities for your own wellbeing and that of your colleagues. This article explains what these responsibilities are, and how you can meet them.

Employers have responsibilities for the health and safety of their employees. They are also responsible for any visitors to their premises such as customers, suppliers and the general public. Find out what these responsibilities are and what you can do if you feel that your employer has not lived up to their responsibility.

Your employer has a duty to consult all staff about health and safety issues in the workplace. They do this by either talking directly to employees or to a safety representative acting on behalf of the employees. Find what health and safety representatives do and how to become a health and safety representative at your place of work.

Many people use computers or visual display units (VDUs) as part of their job. Most suffer no ill-effects. VDUs don’t give out harmful levels of radiation and rarely cause skin complaints.

If you use one and suffer ill-effects it may be because of the way you’re using the computer. For example, you might suffer from strain in the back of the hand due to excessive ‘mouse’ clicking, or stress or neck ache if you use a VDU without a break for a long time. Problems like these can be avoided by a well-designed workstation and job.

Find useful information on health and safety issues relating to computers and find out what employers should do under health and safety regulations. You can also find out what help and equipment you may need to work safely with computers.

There are many hazards that you might come across while doing manual work. This article looks at the most common hazards, how you can reduce your risk of injury at work and what your employer’s responsibilities are.

Your employer has a duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure your health and safety. This means they can suspend you from work if they think you may be at particular risk. For example, you may be suspended if you become seriously allergic to a chemical at work, or if you're a newly expectant mother working in a lab that uses radiation. Your employer's decision should be based on a risk assessment.

This article outlines your rights if that happens, looks at how you’ll be paid and what happens if you’re pregnant.

If you have a job that challenges you, you should expect to feel some pressure at work. However, when that pressure is excessive and you suffer an adverse reaction to it, then it has become stress.

Stress is not a disease, but it can be a threat to your health and safety at work. Legally, your employer must take care of your health and safety when you are at work.

One in five people suffer from workplace stress, with half a million people reporting they have become ill as a result. This article looks at the causes and remedies of stress and explains your rights.

Your employer has a duty to protect you and tell you about health and safety issues that affect you. They also have a legal obligation to report certain accidents and incidents, and to pay you statutory sick pay, or contractual sick pay if you are entitled to it, if you need time off because of an accident at work.

There are limits on what an employer can do to check on an employee’s activities. Employers need consent from their staff to do drug testing, for example. You also have some rights in how your employer monitors you. You should expect some monitoring at work by your employer – it’s necessary for them to carry out their health and safety duties. However, where monitoring involves taking data or images – like email and CCTV – this must be done in a way that’s lawful and fair to you.