Legislation
Legislation plays a huge role in business and relates to many aspects of their activities.
Some laws and regulations are particularly relevant to certain industries, e.g. restaurants or cafes will have to comply with food safety legislation while hair salons have to ensure they comply with health and safety legislation and so on. It is therefore important that businesses are aware of the laws that affect them in particular, and general legislation affecting all businesses, e.g. the Equality Act 2010.
Click on the different areas of legislation to see more details:
Food Legislation
Click here to see the Food Standards Agency's advice on the things to consider when starting a food business:
Pause for thought
Click on the link to go to the Food Standards Agency's food hygiene rating page:
Look for the score of your favourite restaurant. Are you happy with the score?
Businesses in Wales must show their hygiene rating prominently in their location. Why is having a high hygiene score important? (Consider the business’ perspective and the customer's perspective.)
Health and Safety at Work
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the main health and safety act and applies to all work settings in the UK from smallest to largest.
All workspaces must comply with the Act and also have to prominently display a Health and Safety Executive health and safety poster.
Pause for thought
Follow the link to the health and safety poster:
Employers must display the poster in a place where employees can read it. Why?
You can read more about health and safety at work responsibilities here:
Pause for thought
Watch the video:
What impact did Beca Glyn's accident have on her and on the business?
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
General Data Protection Regulations relate to the information businesses are able to keep about people. It includes information about customers as well as employees.
You can learn more about the regulations here:
Employment Rights
Employment rights protect people in work. It is essential that any business that employs people understands their responsibilities towards the people they employ.
Many of the rights stem from human rights. Watch the video to learn more:
Click on the link to see some of the things businesses will need to consider when employing people for the first time:
Taking on your first employee – legal issues
Read a summary of people’s rights at work here:
Consumer Rights
Consumer rights relate to rights in the purchase of products or services and relate to the quality of products, online purchasing regulations and so on.
Click on the link to find out more: