Division 82
Office & Business Support
Requirements for all office & business support
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 business. Applies to office premises, call-centre floors and any public-facing operations. Devolved: enforced by HSE across Great Britain; separate HSENI regime in Northern Ireland.
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
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)
Central to this industry — office-support, call-centre, debt-collection and credit-reference firms process extensive third-party personal data (clients, applicants, debtors). ICO data protection fee payable unless specifically exempt. Amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by EHRC
Equality Act 2010
Prohibits discrimination, harassment and victimisation across the protected characteristics, in employment and in services provided to the public. Northern Ireland has separate equality legislation enforced by ECNI.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Enforced by LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The 'responsible person' for office/workplace premises must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire-safety arrangements. Devolved: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006.