Business guidance
Rules, requirements and how-tos for running your business — organised by topic, with industry-specific guidance on the sector pages.
Guidance for mining & resources
Show all guidanceCoal mining compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm you have met every regulatory obligation that applies to your coal or lignite mining operation — from workplace health and safety through to coal-mining licences, mine and quarry safety, explosives and environmental permits.
Food, Drink & HospitalityGet authorisation for a water activity in Scotland (EASR)
How to get authorisation for any activity affecting surface water or groundwater in Scotland — abstraction, impoundment, engineering in or near a water body, and discharges. Since 1 November 2025 water activities are authorised under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR), which replaced the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR 2011) framework. Covers the four-tier authorisation system (General Binding Rules, notification, registration, permit), pre-application advice, fees, and enforcement, all administered by SEPA.
Mining & ResourcesGet the licences, permits and meet major-hazard duties for petroleum extraction
Petroleum extraction requires a petroleum production licence from the NSTA, site-specific permits and compliance with major-hazard controls. This guide covers the petroleum production licence, the offshore safety-case regime, COMAH for onshore establishments, environmental permits for onshore installations, OPRED offshore oil-pollution permits and upstream petroleum taxation.
Mining & ResourcesGet the permits and consents for metal ore mining
Before you open, extend or resume a metal ore mine you need planning permission, environmental permits for mine-water discharge and extractive waste, and — where blasting is used — an explosives licence. Uranium and thorium ore mining additionally needs a radioactive-substances environmental permit. This guide takes you through each consent in turn.
Mining & ResourcesGet the permits and consents for quarrying and mining
Before you open, extend or resume a quarry or mine you need minerals planning permission, and your operation may need environmental permits for discharges and mineral processing, an explosives licence for blasting, COMAH controls for chemical minerals, a habitats assessment for peat extraction, and — for underground rock-salt — the Mines Regulations 2014. This guide takes you through each consent in turn.
Mining & ResourcesMeet your coal mining regulatory duties
Coal and lignite extraction in Great Britain requires a coal-mining operation licence, compliance with the mines or quarries safety regime depending on your working method, explosives authorisations if you blast, and environmental permits for waste and discharges. This guide covers every sector-specific regulatory duty.
Mining & ResourcesMeet your worksite compliance duties for mining support
When you provide support services on an offshore installation, at a mine or at a quarry, you must comply with the site-specific safety regimes at the worksite. This guide covers the offshore safety-case and well-construction duties for petroleum support contractors and the Mines and Quarries Regulations duties for mining support contractors.
Mining & ResourcesMetal ore mining: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your metal ore mining business meets its obligations. Work through the universal mine-operation items every mine shares, then the permits and consents for your specific operation. If you answer no to any item that applies to you, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Mining & ResourcesMining support service: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your mining support service business meets its obligations. Work through the universal workplace items every support contractor shares, then the worksite compliance duties that apply where you work. If you answer no to any item that applies to you, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Mining & ResourcesPetroleum extraction: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your petroleum extraction business meets its obligations. Work through the universal workplace items, then the licensing, permits, major-hazard duties and upstream taxation. If you answer no to any item that applies to you, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Mining & ResourcesQuarrying and mining: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your quarrying or mining business meets its obligations. Work through the universal quarry-operation items every site shares, then the permits and consents for your specific operation. If you answer no to any item that applies to you, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Mining & ResourcesSet up and run a safe coal mining operation
Every coal or lignite mining operation must meet universal workplace duties before it tackles the sector-specific mining safety, licensing and environmental regimes. This guide covers the eight foundational obligations — health and safety, COSHH, work equipment, manual handling, fire, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Mining & ResourcesSet up and run a safe metal ore mine
Mining metal ores — iron, copper, tin, lead, zinc, tungsten, uranium and thorium — is high-hazard work. This is the universal spine: it takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties, the Mines Regulations 2014 mine-safety regime, control of hazardous substances, work equipment safety, manual handling, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Mining & ResourcesSet up and run a safe mining support service
Mining support services — drilling, well services, site preparation, pumping and draining — handle hazardous substances, flammable hydrocarbons and heavy equipment. This is the universal spine: it takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties, COSHH and DSEAR controls, work equipment safety, manual handling, fire safety, RIDDOR reporting, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Mining & ResourcesSet up and run a safe petroleum extraction operation
Petroleum extraction — crude oil and natural gas — handles large inventories of flammable and toxic hydrocarbons under pressure. This is the universal spine: it takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties, COSHH controls for hydrogen sulphide, benzene, mercury and NORM, DSEAR controls for explosive atmospheres, work equipment safety, manual handling, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Mining & ResourcesSet up and run a safe quarry or mine
Operating a quarry or mine — stone, sand, gravel, clay, salt, peat or chemical minerals — is high-hazard work. This is the universal spine: it takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties, the Quarries Regulations 1999 quarry-safety regime, control of respirable crystalline silica and dust under COSHH, work equipment safety, manual handling, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Energy & UtilitiesUnderstand deep land rights and petroleum licensing for onshore energy
How deep level land access rights work for petroleum and geothermal exploration. Covers the 300m depth threshold, PEDL licensing, hydraulic fracturing consent requirements, and the 11 statutory safeguards. Includes differences between England/Wales and Scotland.
Mining & ResourcesWhich coal mining rules apply to you
If you operate or plan to operate a coal or lignite extraction site in Great Britain, you must comply with mining-specific licensing, safety and environmental regimes on top of the universal workplace duties that bind every employer. This guide introduces the rules and routes you to the detail.
Mining & ResourcesWhich metal ore mining regulations apply to your business
Metal ore mining — iron, copper, tin, lead, zinc, tungsten, uranium and thorium — carries mine-safety, explosives, environmental-permit and planning obligations on top of the general workplace duties every employer shares. Start here to find which guides apply to you.
Mining & ResourcesWhich mining support service regulations apply to your business
Mining support service businesses — drilling, well services, site preparation, pumping and draining for mining and petroleum operators — carry their own health and safety duties on top of the operator's. Start here to find which guides apply to you.
Mining & ResourcesWhich petroleum extraction regulations apply to your business
Petroleum extraction businesses — crude oil and natural gas, onshore and offshore — operate under a petroleum production licence, a process-safety stack and upstream petroleum taxation. Start here to find which guides apply to you.
Mining & ResourcesWhich quarrying and mining regulations apply to your business
Quarrying and mining stone, sand, gravel, clay, salt, peat and chemical minerals carries the Quarries Regulations 1999 quarry-safety regime, planning permission, environmental permits and — where you blast — explosives licensing, on top of the general workplace duties every employer shares. Start here to find which guides apply to you.
General rules
Common requirements shown separately from guidance directly classified to this sector.
Check if you need to register for VAT
Find out if your business must register for VAT based on your taxable turnover. Covers the £90,000 threshold, what counts as taxable turnover, the rolling 12-month test, and when voluntary registration makes sense.
Business StructureMandatory registrations every business must complete
Step-by-step guide to the registrations every business must complete before trading, regardless of sector. Covers HMRC tax registration, ICO data protection fee, mandatory insurance, and pension auto-enrolment.
Premises & OperationsMeet your business waste duty of care
Understand your legal responsibilities when producing, storing, or disposing of business waste. Covers using registered waste carriers, completing waste transfer notes, and the stricter rules for hazardous waste.
Compliance & LegalPre-trading compliance checklist
A concise yes/no checklist to verify you have completed all mandatory pre-trading requirements, including business registration, tax, insurance, licences, premises approvals, and data protection.
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