These requirements apply to all business activities in this division.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — general duties
Enforced by:
HSE
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
General duty to protect employees and others affected by the business — cutting rooms, sewing floors, pressing and finishing operations. Devolved: Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' Liability Insurance
Enforced by:
HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Required for any business employing at least one person.
registration
Uk
Annual
UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018
Enforced by:
ICO
Data Protection Act 2018; UK GDPR (retained EU law)
Applies to any business processing personal data — staff, customers, suppliers. ICO registration unless specifically exempt.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by:
EHRC
Equality Act 2010
No discrimination, harassment or victimisation in employment or in services to the public. NI has a separate equality framework.
compliance
England_Wales
Ongoing
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 precautions — relevant for factories storing fabric, dust and combustible textiles. Devolved: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
Enforced by:
HSE
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
Assess and control exposure to hazardous substances used in garment manufacture — dyes, finishing chemicals, adhesives, solvents and fabric/fibre dust. Devolved: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)
Enforced by:
HSE
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Work equipment (industrial sewing machines, cutting tables, knitting machines, pressing and steam equipment) must be suitable, maintained, guarded and used only by trained staff.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Enforced by:
HSE
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Avoid or assess and reduce the risk from manual handling — fabric rolls, bales and finished-goods movement on the factory floor.
compliance
Uk
Ongoing
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Enforced by:
OPSS
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Garments placed on the consumer market must be safe — the residual safety net covering drawstrings/cords (esp. on children's clothing), small detachable parts, chemical and mechanical hazards. Enforced by Trading Standards under OPSS oversight.
compliance
Uk
Ongoing
Textile fibre composition labelling
Enforced by:
TRADING_STANDARDS
The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012
Textile products made available to consumers must be labelled or marked with their fibre composition using the prescribed fibre names and percentages. Enforced by Trading Standards (with OPSS oversight).
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
REACH restricted substances in textiles
Enforced by:
HSE
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) (retained)
Garments and their components must comply with UK REACH restrictions on substances in articles — e.g. azo dyes, formaldehyde, nickel in fasteners and restricted CMR substances in clothing. GB REACH is regulated by HSE; separate EU REACH applies to goods placed on the NI / EU market.