What does it mean: Self Employed are exempt from the Health and Safety Law?

On October 1st 2015 around 1.7m workers will have no safety duties, according to the regulator. This move stems from a proposal in the 2011 Löfstedt review on safety statutes.

This was aimed at reducing the perception that health and safety law is inappropriately applied.

So let’s put this into context.

If you are self-employed, have no-one else working for you and your work does not pose a risk to anyone else, then you are exempt for health and safety law. The sort of people who will fall into this category will be writers, online traders, bookkeepers, landlords etc.

You are not exempt if you employ anyone or your work activities affect anyone else, such as hairdressers as they use chemicals for colours and perms, bakers and confectioners.

For more clarification visit the Health and Safety Executive Website which gives more detailed information.