QUICK FACTS:
- In 2009, the health and safety law posters, leaflets and pocket cards were redesigned to be more readable and engaging.
- From 5 April 2014, employers in Great Britain must use the 2009 versions (15 June for Northern Ireland employers)
- The posters and leaflets are available on the HSE website in different sizes
From 5 April 2014, employers in Great Britain are required to display the 2009 workplace poster or provide employees with the 2009 leaflet or pocket card instead of the previous 1999 versions. Employers in Northern Ireland are required to use the new versions from 15 June 2014.
The health & safety information for employees regulations require employers to either display a HSE-approved poster in a prominent position in their workplaces or provide employees with a copy of the HSE-approved leaflet. A ‘prominent position’ means that a readable poster is displayed in an accessible place where employees can easily see and read it. The poster and leaflet summarise employer and employee health and safety duties and describe what to do if there is a problem.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT?
Research showed that the 1999 versions of the law poster and law leaflet were visually unappealing and rarely read. They were redesigned in 2009 to be more readable and engaging. The newest versions set out the information in a simpler, more easily digestible bullet point format.
The 2009 poster still has boxes where details of any worker health and safety representatives and other health and safety contacts can be added. It is not a legal requirement to include this information, but it may be helpful for workers.
The poster and leaflets are available in different sizes and formats. Certain sizes are also available in Welsh.
WHERE CAN I GET THE 2009 VERSIONS?
The 2009 workplace posters can be purchased from the HSE at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/lawposter.htm Leaflets and pocket cards can be purchased or downloaded for free from this page.
Each copy of the 2009 poster incorporates a unique, serially numbered hologram in the bottom right corner. The security hologram is intended to help prevent mis-selling and to ensure the copy is genuine.