Home » Legal developments » National legislation » United Kingdom: employers required to supply personal protective equipment to “workers” United Kingdom: employers required to supply personal protective equipment to “workers” Through . Published on 17 January 2022 à 12h49 - Update on 17 January 2022 à 12h49 Resources From 6 April, UK businesses will be required to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to “workers” who are exposed to health or safety risks in the workplace. It should be noted that the status of “worker”, which is specific to the United Kingdom, does not entitle an individual to the same level of rights as that of “employee”. Nevertheless, workers benefit from certain rights such as paid holiday and a minimum wage, thereby enjoying more guarantees than self-employed workers. UK companies are currently only required to provide PPE to their employees and the change means firms in the country will have to quickly assess the number of workers in need of such equipment. They will then be responsible for the maintenance, storage and possible replacement of the PPE allocated to the workers, who will in turn have to report any anomalies or equipment failures. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the government agency responsible for enforcing workplace health and safety, has published a guide for employers on its website. It also points out that any company that does not comply with this new rule will face sanctions. According to the HSE, some 1.7 million workers declared a work-related illness in the 2020/2021 tax year. Need more info ? Contact mind's on-demand study service Which service do you want to contact :WritingCommercial serviceTechnical SupportFirst name Last name Organization Function email* Object of the message Your messageRGPD J’accepte la politique de confidentialité.NameThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Essentials Les dernières publications Supporting parenthood in the workplace: a win-win strategy Supporting employee carers: a CSR challenge Analyzes Les dernières publications Paternity leave: data observations from 41 countries EU: during H1 2022 five EU Member States have raised their minimum salary levels