Defence, Security & Space UK-wide

Which public administration regulations apply to your organisation

Public administration bodies — government departments, local authorities, defence establishments and agencies carrying out compulsory social security — share cross-cutting workplace duties with every employer, but carry additional equality and data-protection obligations. This router points you to the spine and the compliance checklist.

Guide summary

As a public administration body, you must meet the same workplace health and safety, fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection duties as any employer. You also have extra obligations: the Public Sector Equality Duty and stricter data protection rules. Start by following the guide 'Set up and run a safe public administration operation', then use the public administration compliance checklist to confirm you have covered everything.

  • Meet health and safety, fire safety, and employers' liability insurance duties
  • Follow the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010
  • Do not use 'legitimate interests' for data processing in public tasks
  • Crown bodies face censure, not prosecution, for health and safety breaches
  • Start with the guide 'Set up and run a safe public administration operation'
  • Complete the public administration compliance checklist after you finish
  • Health and safety penalties: unlimited fines and up to 2 years imprisonment
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Public administration bodies face the same workplace health and safety, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data-protection duties as any employer — but with important differences. Many public bodies are Crown employers whose health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 apply with full force, though Crown bodies are subject to Crown censure rather than prosecution. Public bodies also carry the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, and face tighter data-protection constraints — including the inability to rely on legitimate interests as a lawful basis for processing personal data in the exercise of public tasks.

What you need to do

  1. 1

    Meet your workplace and employment duties

    Start with the universal spine. Follow "Set up and run a safe public administration operation" for your health and safety, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality (including the Public Sector Equality Duty) and data protection duties.

  2. 2

    Confirm you have covered everything

    Finish with the public administration compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are met.

Official sources

Authoritative starting points for public administration bodies.