Division 25
Metal Products
Requirements for all metal products
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 work. Metal fabrication is machinery- and exposure-intensive (cutting, welding, grinding, pressing). NI: 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.
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.
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by EHRC
Equality Act 2010
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation prohibited across nine protected characteristics in employment and services. NI: separate equality legislation enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
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 — demanding where hot work, flammable degreasing solvents and combustible metal dusts (e.g. aluminium, magnesium) are present. Devolved: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006; 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
Assess, prevent or adequately control exposure to hazardous substances and provide health surveillance where required. Applies across this whole industry because welding fume is now a recognised carcinogen — HSE requires effective engineering controls (LEV) and RPE for ALL welding, indoors or out. Also bites on metalworking-fluid mists, isocyanate paints, acid pickling and electroplating chemistries. NI: COSHH Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment (PUWER)
Enforced by HSE
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Work equipment — power presses, guillotines, press brakes, lathes, grinders, welding sets, robots — must be suitable, maintained, inspected and safeguarded. Power presses additionally require thorough examination and inspection of guards under PUWER regs 32-35. Reads with the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 for compressed-air and steam plant.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Enforced by HSE
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Avoid hazardous manual handling so far as reasonably practicable, then assess and reduce the risk of injury — heavy steel sections, plate, billets, coils and finished fabrications are routine in metal fabrication. NI: Manual Handling Operations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992.
General product safety + UKCA conformity
Enforced by OPSS
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Metal products placed on the GB market must be safe. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 are the residual safety duty where no specific product regime applies; products within scope of a specific regime (e.g. construction products, pressure equipment, machinery) must instead carry UKCA marking and meet that regime's essential requirements. Enforced by OPSS / local Trading Standards. Northern Ireland market access follows the GPSR (EU 2023/988) and CE marking under the Windsor Framework.