UK health and safety requirements are changing in 2026. A range of laws will require faster hazard remediation, stronger professional competence, tighter environmental controls and greater organisational accountability. Housing, waste, product safety and workplace culture all face meaningful shifts during 2026. These changes share a common thread: a move toward transparency, data integrity, and demonstrable competence. Compliance teams will need updated training, clearer procedures and closer engagement with estates, HR and operations teams.
Housing, fire and building safety
Awaab’s Law – Expanding hazard deadlines through 2026–27
The tragic death of Awaab Ishak prompted a national rethink of damp and mould risks. Awaab’s Law now sets legally enforceable timelines for social landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards. The first phase is already in force, yet 2026 brings a widening of the hazard categories covered and closer regulatory scrutiny of how landlords communicate with tenants.
Regulators no longer view damp and mould as low-grade issues. The law reframes them as critical health risks. Social landlords must create faster, more transparent repairs pathways and train staff to recognise when a complaint meets the statutory thresholds. Estate teams need strong coordination between call handlers, surveyors and contractors, since missed deadlines will have reputational and regulatory consequences.
Renters Rights Act 2025 – The private rented sector steps into stricter oversight
This Act strengthens tenant protections across England and places new expectations on private landlords to resolve hazards quickly and consistently. Enforcement bodies have more powers and will begin using them from 2026. The reform aims to prevent the chronic disrepair that fuels health and fire risks in lower-quality housing.
The shift here is cultural as much as legal. Regulators want landlords to treat hazards like damp, mould, electrical faults and structural issues as essential safety risks. Letting agents, HMO managers and estates teams must adopt clearer triage processes, stronger documentation and more reliable contractor oversight. Training becomes central because the Act expects quicker recognition of early health and safety red flags.
Martyn’s Law – A new era of terrorism preparedness for public spaces
Driven by the Manchester Arena inquiry, Martyn’s Law will introduce proportionate security duties for venues and events. Although the main obligations arrive around 2027, organisations need multiple years of preparation due to operational complexity.
This law recognises that terrorism risk management sits alongside fire safety as a core public-protection duty. Venues will need to identify likely attack methods, plan evacuations, improve staff vigilance and embed incident response into everyday training. For education, hospitality, retail, sports and cultural venues, this law introduces a completely new compliance discipline.
Waste, environmental controls and product safety
Digital Waste Tracking – A structural reform from October 2026
The current paper-based or fragmented tracking system limits visibility and enables waste crime. The new digital system will provide near real-time traceability of waste movements, beginning with licensed sites. It expands to carriers and brokers in 2027.
This is one of the largest operational changes in UK waste law for over a decade. Compliance teams must support estates and facilities teams through the shift from paperwork to digital record-keeping. Training will need to cover data accuracy, duty-of-care checks and the consequences of errors, since regulators will have much clearer insight into waste flows.
Tightened waste exemptions – Reducing grey areas in 2026
Many low-risk activities currently run under exemptions rather than permits. Government intends to tighten or remove several of these, reducing opportunities for misuse.
More sites will need full environmental permits, meaning greater scrutiny and more conditions to comply with. Smaller organisations and estates teams that rely on exemptions for routine activities need to prepare for a heavier regulatory footprint and more documentation requirements.
Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) – Building a unified system in 2026
Scotland is transitioning to a single, integrated authorisation system that consolidates environmental permits into one framework.This simplifies the system in the long term, although 2026 will be a period of transition with changes to authorisation categories and conditions. Multi-site organisations working across borders will need training tailored to Scotland’s new framework.
Plastic wet wipes bans across UK nations
The bans reflect growing concern about plastic pollution, microplastics in waterways, and the persistent problem of sewer blockages caused by so-called “flushable” wipes. Wales is leading the way, with restrictions coming into force in 2026, followed by England and Northern Ireland in 2027 after agreed transition periods to allow businesses to adapt.
The practical impact cuts across multiple functions. Facilities and procurement teams will need to ensure purchasing contracts move away from plastic-containing wipes, including those used for cleaning, hygiene and maintenance. Retail, product and supply-chain teams will need clear awareness of new sales and distribution restrictions to avoid compliance gaps. The change may seem minor in isolation, though regulators see it as part of a broader shift towards environmental responsibility, product accountability and tighter scrutiny of everyday operational decisions.
WEEE Changes and lithium battery controls – Strengthening risk management
Disposable vapes now have their own WEEE category, and regulators are focusing heavily on lithium-ion battery fires and transport hazards.
Many organisations underestimate the fire and waste risks associated with vape returns, e-bike batteries and IT equipment. 2026 will bring greater enforcement around hazardous waste rules. Training on safe storage, terminal protection and licensed carriers becomes vital.
Product Safety and Metrology Act – The start of a multi-year update cycle
Rather than a single change, this law opens the door for ongoing revisions to UK product safety rules as the government moves away from EU-era frameworks.
Manufacturers, importers and retailers must expect regular waves of secondary legislation. Compliance teams should prepare for more agile processes for labelling, testing requirements and conformity assessment updates.
Climate, energy and supply chain measures
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism – Preparing for 2027
CBAM introduces a carbon price on imported carbon-intensive goods, mirroring the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. Although not strictly a health and safety law, CBAM affects supply-chain risk assessments and procurement decisions. Compliance teams will need to help map carbon exposure and integrate CBAM into ESG and supplier due-diligence frameworks.
ESOS Phase 5 – Net zero assessment requirement from 2027
Government pushed the key net-zero assessment into Phase 5 to give organisations more time, though Phase 4 still brings incremental adjustments.
Energy efficiency is becoming a formal compliance obligation rather than an optional sustainability initiative. Training for energy managers, estates teams and procurement will need to align with long-term carbon-reduction planning.
Deposit Return Scheme – Delayed UK-wide launch in 2027
The UK is moving toward a single, unified Deposit Return Scheme covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with an expected go-live date of October 2027. This replaces earlier plans for devolved schemes and creates a consistent national framework for drinks containers made of plastic, metal and glass.
Under the scheme, consumers will pay a small deposit at the point of purchase, which is refunded when the empty container is returned to a designated return point. Producers, retailers and hospitality operators will all have defined legal responsibilities, overseen by a central Deposit Management Organisation.
From a compliance perspective, the scheme adds a new layer of legal and reporting responsibility. Businesses will be required to track volumes, refunds and movements of returned containers and to interface accurately with the central Deposit Management Organisation. Errors in handling or data reporting carry the risk of enforcement action, as well as reputational damage if customer experiences are poor.
Worker rights and workplace culture
Employment Rights Bill – Significant changes rolling out from 2026
Although the legislation has not yet passed as of writing, this is the biggest reform to employment law in a generation. Shorter qualifying periods for unfair dismissal, stronger sick pay, enhanced parental leave and protections for workers on variable contracts all reshape the employment landscape. There will also be changes to sexual harassment requirements on all employers, along with new rights for different aspects of leave such as for bereavement.
Compliance and HR teams will need to support line managers through new duties around wellbeing conversations, fair scheduling, documentation and consultation. Regulators increasingly link working conditions to organisational safety culture, so these changes intersect directly with health and safety training.
Public Office (Accountability) Bill – A duty of candour for public bodies
Inspired by long-running failings exposed in major public inquiries, the Bill creates a clear legal duty to act with openness and cooperation when things go wrong. This marks a shift away from defensive, box-ticking responses towards an expectation of candour, early disclosure and good-faith engagement with regulators, investigators and affected individuals.
Public bodies and private contractors delivering public services will need to reinforce cultures of transparency across their organisations, not just at leadership level. This directly affects how incidents are reported, investigated and documented, including how concerns are escalated internally and how information is preserved and shared. Training will need to go beyond procedural compliance and focus on behaviours, decision-making and ethical judgement, ensuring staff understand not only what the rules are, but how they are expected to act under pressure.
