Division 14
Clothing Manufacturing
Requirements for all clothing 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 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.
Employers' Liability Insurance
Enforced by HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Required for any business employing at least one person.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.