& 
The Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 require every employer in Great Britain to tell workers about health and safety law. The simplest way is to display HSE’s approved poster, Health and safety law: what you need to know. Alternatively, you can give every worker the equivalent leaflet or pocket card.
Who needs to display it?
Every employer, whatever the size of the business, including those with only one employee. It does not apply to self-employed people with no employees. If you have more than one workplace, each one needs a poster, or every worker needs a copy of the leaflet.
Which version?
The current poster was introduced in 2009. Older versions could only be used until 5 April 2014, so if yours is a different design it needs replacing. It must be the HSE-approved version, which is available from HSE Books and approved suppliers.
Where should it go?
- Somewhere workers can easily see and read it, such as a staff noticeboard, a canteen or a site welfare cabin
- Somewhere that is not hidden behind doors or in a manager’s office
- Kept clean and legible, and replaced if it becomes damaged
What do you need to fill in?
The 2009 poster has optional boxes for the names of health and safety contacts, such as the person responsible for health and safety in the business and any employee representatives. Filling them in is not a legal requirement, but it is good practice and makes the poster more useful.
Can I give out the leaflet instead?
Yes. Instead of displaying the poster, you can give every worker a copy of the leaflet or pocket card version. If you choose this route, make sure new starters receive it as part of their induction, and keep a record that it has been given.
The employers’ liability insurance certificate
This is a separate requirement. Most employers must have employers’ liability insurance under the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 and make the certificate available to employees. It can be displayed where employees can easily read it, or made available electronically, as long as employees know where to find it and can access it reasonably.
Is the poster enough?
No. The poster sets out basic rights and duties, but it does not replace the training, information and instruction employers must give under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management Regulations. See our guide to writing a health and safety policy for the next step.
The ACoP and official guidance
| Publication | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| No ACoP | n/a | There is no ACoP. HSE publishes the approved poster and leaflet, plus guidance on displaying them. |
An Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) has special legal status under section 16 of the Health and Safety at Work Act. If you are prosecuted and did not follow it, you must show that you met the law in some other way that was just as good. Guidance on Regulations has no special legal status, but inspectors refer to it and following it is normally enough to comply. Our guide to UK health and safety legislation lists every law and its ACoP or guidance in one place.
Training that helps
Our health and safety induction eLearning is a quick way to cover the basics with new starters. For managers setting up their health and safety arrangements, IOSH Managing Safely and the NEBOSH National General Certificate cover the legal framework in full.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a legal requirement to display the health and safety law poster?
Employers must either display the approved poster or give each worker the approved leaflet or pocket card.
Do I need a poster if I only have one employee?
Yes. The requirement applies to all employers, whatever their size.
Can I display the poster digitally?
The regulations refer to the approved poster or leaflet. If you want to rely on an electronic version, check the current HSE guidance first, and the simplest compliant option remains a printed poster or the leaflet.
Do I have to fill in the boxes on the poster?
No, they are optional, but filling them in is good practice.
Read the source
The Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989, as amended in 2009; HSE guidance on the health and safety law poster and leaflet; and the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 and its 2008 amendment regulations. Facts checked on 6 October 2026.
Find a date that works
Every course, every centre, with live availability and prices.
On your site or ours, and group rates on request.
