General duties

Although there is no specific legislation aimed at controlling stress, bullying and violence at work, employers have legal duties under both statutory and common law that are relevant and safety reps have rights they can use to tackle these problems.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA), employers have a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees (see Chapter 1). The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to carry out risk assessments (see Chapter 3) and safety reps have extensive rights under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (see Chapter 4).