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 — factory floors, finishing shops, machinery and chemical handling across all leather and footwear manufacturing.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
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 data protection fee payable 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 and premises across the nine protected characteristics.
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 — material on the elevated fire load of solvents, finishes and stored hides/leather. Devolved variants: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
Enforced by:
HSE
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
Assess and control exposure to hazardous substances used throughout the division — tanning agents (chromium salts), biocides, dyes, solvent-based adhesives and finishing chemicals. Northern Ireland: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (NI) 2003.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
Enforced by:
HSE
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Machinery used across tanning drums, splitting/shaving machines, cutting presses, stitching and lasting machines must be suitable, maintained and guarded, with operators trained.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Enforced by:
HSE
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Assess and reduce manual handling risks from moving wet hides, leather bundles and material rolls — a recognised musculoskeletal risk in the sector. Northern Ireland: Manual Handling Operations Regulations (NI) 1992.
compliance
Uk
Ongoing
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Enforced by:
OPSS
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Consumer leather goods, bags and footwear placed on the market must be safe; enforced by OPSS and local Trading Standards. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 provides powers to update the product-safety framework — monitor for replacement regulations.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
UK REACH — chromium VI restriction in leather articles
Enforced by:
HSE
UK REACH Regulation (retained EU law)
UK REACH (retained Regulation (EC) 1907/2006) Annex XVII restricts chromium VI in leather articles that come into contact with skin to below 3 mg/kg. Binds anyone placing leather articles on the market — tanneries and downstream footwear/luggage/glove makers alike — plus SVHC notification and registration duties for substances used. HSE is the UK REACH Agency; Environment Agency advises on environmental aspects. Northern Ireland follows EU REACH under the Windsor Framework.