Division 12
Tobacco Manufacturing
Requirements for all tobacco manufacturing
These requirements apply to all business activities in this division.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — general duties
Enforced by HSE
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
General duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by the manufacturing operation — machinery, process areas, dust and storage. Devolved: Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
Employers' Liability Insurance
Enforced by HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Compulsory for any business employing at least one person.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002
Enforced by HSE
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Tobacco processing generates respirable tobacco dust and uses casing/flavouring chemicals; employers must assess exposure, control it (LEV), monitor and provide health surveillance. Devolved: COSHH Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
Enforced by HSE
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Production machinery (cutting, drying, rolling, packing lines) must be suitable, maintained, guarded and operated by trained staff.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Enforced by HSE
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Avoid or assess and reduce the risk from manual handling of leaf, bales and finished-product cases. Devolved: Manual Handling Operations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992.
UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018
Enforced by ICO
Data Protection Act 2018; UK GDPR (retained EU law)
Applies to processing of personal data — staff, customers, suppliers. ICO registration unless specifically exempt.
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by EHRC
Equality Act 2010
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation prohibited across the protected characteristics in employment and services.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Enforced by LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire safety arrangements — dried tobacco and dust are combustible. Devolved variants: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Enforced by OPSS
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
General safety obligation for consumer products where no specific product-safety regime applies. Tobacco product composition is governed primarily by the tobacco-specific regimes below; this is the residual safety baseline.
Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 — product standards, ingredient reporting and notification
Enforced by MHRA
The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016; Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026
Manufacturers must meet product standards (ingredients, emissions, maximum tar/nicotine/CO yields), submit annual ingredient and emission reporting, comply with health-warning and labelling rules, and — for e-cigarettes and refill containers — notify the MHRA at least 6 months before placing a product on the market. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 adds further product/supply controls for tobacco and vaping products, including banned oral tobacco products. Enforcement of manufacturing/composition standards is shared with Trading Standards and OPSS; MHRA runs the e-cigarette/nicotine notification scheme.
Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015
Enforced by TRADING_STANDARDS
The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015
Cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco must be produced in standardised ('plain') retail packaging — prescribed colour, no branding, fixed pack format and surface finish. Enforced by Trading Standards / OPSS.
Tobacco products duty (excise)
Enforced by HMRC
Tobacco Products Duty Act 1979
Tobacco products manufactured in or imported into the UK are subject to excise duty. Manufacturers must be approved/registered with HMRC, account for duty, and apply duty stamps to cigarette and hand-rolling tobacco packs. The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 (ukpga/2002/36) additionally restricts advertising and promotion.
Tobacco track-and-trace (traceability and security features)
Enforced by HMRC
The Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) Regulations 2019
Manufacturers must obtain an economic operator ID and facility IDs, apply a unique identifier (UID) to each unit packet, record movements through the supply chain to the UK track-and-trace system, and apply a security feature. Operated under HMRC; designed to combat illicit trade.