Raising your concern

The law requires employers and the self-employed to conduct their business in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons affected are not exposed to risks to their health or safety. This includes providing essential welfare facilities for employees.

You can find out what the health and safety law requires by searching our website, start by looking under the relevant topic or industry section.

If you consider that your employer (or someone else’s) work activity is putting your safety at risk or damaging your health, then you should raise your concerns with that employer or person. If no improvement is made and your safety or health continues to be at risk, then you can report your concern to the relevant enforcing authority and ask them to look into it.

Firstly, HSE can only take action on a concern if:

1. It relates to a work activity.
2. HSE is the right enforcing authority for the work.
3. The issue raised is sufficiently specific to enable identification of the issue and the dutyholder and/or location and that either:
   • The issue raised has caused or has potential to cause significant harm, or alleges the denial of basic employee welfare facilities,
   • It appears to constitute a significant breach of law for which HSE is the enforcing authority.

Therefore HSE cannot deal with concerns about issues or employers where we have no jurisdiction and where we receive such concerns, we will take no further action. The following section should help you identify whether HSE is the correct enforcing authority and then tell you what to do next.

Is HSE the correct enforcing authority for you?

A comprehensive list of HSE's responsibilities and contact details for local and other enforcing authorities is available.

How you can resolve your concerns

If you are an employee and you think the law is being broken, or minimum standards are ignored within your workplace, you can:

• speak to your employer and try to resolve the issue; and/or
• contact your work/safety representative, or your trade union safety representative who can try to resolve the issue for you.

If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, you can raise it with the relevant enforcing authority.

If you are a member of the public and you think a person’s health and safety is being put at risk, you can directly contact their employer to raise your concern with them.

Reporting your concern about workplace health and safety to HSE

Remember, HSE is not responsible for enforcing health and safety in all workplaces. So double check the last section to make sure that it is HSE who is responsible for enforcing health and safety in the workplace that you are concerned about. If you do wish to report your concern to HSE please complete the online form.

• Report your concern using our online form

If you are not able to use this online form then you can raise your concern by email: concerns@hse.gsi.gov.uk or by phoning our Concerns Team on 0300 0031647 in office hours, 8.30am – 5.00pm, Monday - Friday.