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 ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by the business. For an office-based IT firm this is mostly display-screen-equipment (DSE) assessments and general workplace safety.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' Liability (Compulsory) Insurance
Enforced by:
HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Required for any business employing at least one person. A sole-trader contractor with no employees is exempt.
registration
Uk
Annual
UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018
Enforced by:
ICO
Data Protection Act 2018; UK General Data Protection Regulation (retained EU law)
Central to the division. IT firms process personal data both as controllers (their own staff and customers) and, critically, as data PROCESSORS handling client data under software, hosting, support and consultancy contracts — which requires Article 28 processor contracts, security measures (Article 32) and breach-assistance duties. ICO data protection fee payable unless exempt.
compliance
Uk
Ongoing
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)
Enforced by:
ICO
Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
Rules on electronic marketing (email/SMS/phone), cookies and similar tracking technologies, and security of services. Applies to any firm running marketing campaigns or websites/apps that set non-essential cookies, and to providers of electronic communications services. Enforced by the ICO alongside UK GDPR.
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 provided to the public across the nine protected characteristics. For public-sector clients, digital products are also expected to meet accessibility standards (WCAG / PSBAR 2018), though that obligation falls on the public body, not the supplier.
compliance
England_Wales
Ongoing
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Enforced by:
LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The 'responsible person' for any office or other non-domestic workplace must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire safety arrangements. Devolved variants: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006.