Violence at Work – Relevant Legislation

Legislation relevant to violence at work includes Common Law (negligence), Civil (Contract) Law, Criminal Law, Employment Law, Human Rights and Health and Safety law.

The main pieces of Health and Safety law relevant to violence at work are:

• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)
• Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
• The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996
• The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
• Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992

Other Acts of Parliament relevant to workplace violence include:

• Employment Rights Act 1996 (in particular, Section 44)
• Public Interest Disclosure Act 1999 (Whistleblowing)
• The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008
• The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007
• The Equality Act 2010
• Protection from Harassment Act 1997
• Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
• Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015
• The Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021