Health and safety in shared workplaces

Your legal duties under MHSWR 1999 Regulations 11-12 when sharing a workplace with other employers. Covers cooperation, coordination, information sharing, and host employer duties to visiting workers.

UK-wide
Guide summary

If you share your workplace with other employers, you must cooperate, coordinate, and share information about health and safety risks. This applies to shared offices, co-working spaces, and contractors. The host employer must also inform visiting workers about risks and safety measures.

  • Cooperate with other employers sharing your workplace
  • Coordinate health and safety measures with other employers
  • Inform others about risks from your activities
  • Host employers must tell visiting workers about risks
  • Hold regular coordination meetings with other employers
  • Agree shared site rules for common areas
  • Develop joint emergency procedures
  • Conduct joint risk assessments for shared spaces
  • Give contractors information about workplace risks
  • HSE can take action if duties are not met
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When these duties apply

If you share your workplace with other employers, Regulations 11 and 12 of MHSWR 1999 impose specific duties to cooperate, coordinate, and share information. These duties are increasingly relevant as co-working spaces, shared offices, multi-tenanted buildings, and complex contractor arrangements become more common.

Regulation 11 applies whenever two or more employers share a workplace - whether a permanent arrangement (shared office) or temporary (contractors on your site).

Regulation 12 applies specifically when employees from an external employer work in your undertaking - the host employer duty.

The three duties under Regulation 11

1. Cooperate

Each employer sharing the workplace must cooperate with the others so far as is necessary to enable all parties to comply with health and safety law. This means:

  • Attending and contributing to coordination meetings
  • Responding to reasonable requests for information about your activities
  • Participating in joint emergency planning and drills
  • Being willing to adapt your arrangements when they affect other occupiers

2. Coordinate

Each employer must take reasonable steps to coordinate their health and safety measures with those of other employers. This ensures that:

  • Control measures do not conflict or create gaps
  • Emergency procedures are compatible across all occupiers
  • Maintenance and cleaning arrangements do not create hazards for others
  • Shared facilities (stairs, lifts, loading bays) are managed safely

3. Inform

Each employer must inform other employers of risks arising from their own activities that could affect the other employers' employees. For example:

  • If your work generates fumes, noise, or dust that could reach shared areas
  • If you use hazardous substances that could leak or spill
  • If your delivery vehicles use shared access routes
  • If your work creates temporary hazards (wet floors, obstructed exits)

Practical arrangements for shared workplaces

Coordination meetings
Hold regular meetings with other occupiers to discuss shared health and safety issues, review incidents, and plan maintenance or building work
Shared site rules
Agree common safety rules for shared areas including parking, loading, waste disposal, smoking areas, and visitor management
Joint emergency procedures
Develop compatible or joint evacuation procedures, ensure alarms are audible throughout, and coordinate assembly points and roll calls
Shared risk assessments
Conduct joint assessments for common areas such as stairwells, lifts, car parks, kitchens, and reception areas
Contractor management
If you engage contractors, ensure they receive adequate information about your workplace risks before work begins
Building management
Clarify the landlord or managing agent's responsibilities for common areas, fire systems, and building maintenance
  1. 1

    Identify all employers sharing your workplace

    Map out who else occupies or works in your premises, including other tenants, contractors, cleaners, security, and maintenance providers.

  2. 2

    Establish communication channels

    Set up regular coordination meetings or a shared communication system for health and safety matters. Exchange key contact details.

  3. 3

    Share relevant risk information

    Provide other employers with information about risks from your activities that could affect their workers. Ask them to do the same.

  4. 4

    Coordinate emergency procedures

    Ensure all occupiers have compatible emergency procedures. Test with joint evacuation drills at least annually.

  5. 5

    Brief contractors and visitors

    Provide site-specific induction for anyone working in your premises from an external employer, covering risks and safety arrangements.

  6. 6

    Document arrangements

    Keep records of coordination meetings, shared risk assessments, information exchanges, and joint emergency plans.

Official guidance and resources