HSE Publications
The Health and Safety Executive publishes free guidance to help employers, workers, and duty holders understand their legal obligations. We've summarised the most important documents in plain English.
Choose a document type below to browse our guides, or learn about the differences between publication types.
Industry Guidance (INDG)
Free leaflets for employers and workers
Short, practical leaflets covering specific health and safety topics. Free to download and designed to help you understand what the law requires.
- Quick reference guides
- Plain English explanations
- Covers most common workplace hazards
- Free to download from HSE
Approved Codes of Practice (L-series)
Legal guidance with special status
ACOPs have a special legal status. If you follow their advice, you'll be doing enough to comply with the law. Courts can use them as evidence in prosecutions.
- Special legal status in court
- Detailed compliance guidance
- Covers major regulations
- Following them proves due diligence
Health and Safety Guidance (HSG)
Detailed technical guidance
In-depth guidance on specific topics. More detailed than INDG leaflets, these documents explain how to manage particular risks or comply with specific regulations.
- Comprehensive technical detail
- Industry-specific guidance
- Best practice recommendations
- Supports risk assessments
Understanding HSE Publication Types
INDG (Industry Guidance)
Free leaflets providing practical, plain-English advice on specific health and safety topics. They're designed to be accessible and help you understand what the law requires without legal jargon.
Legal status: Advisory guidance. Following them shows good practice but isn't legally required.
ACOP (Approved Codes of Practice)
ACOPs have special legal status under the Health and Safety at Work Act. If you're prosecuted and it's proved you didn't follow an ACOP, you'll need to show the court you complied in another equally effective way.
Legal status: Quasi-legal. Courts can use them as evidence of what's reasonably practicable.
HSG (Health and Safety Guidance)
Detailed technical guidance on specific topics. More comprehensive than INDG leaflets, HSG publications provide in-depth information for managing particular risks or complying with specific regulations.
Legal status: Advisory guidance. Following them demonstrates good practice.
Which Documents Do You Need?
Starting out with health and safety?
Begin with the INDG leaflets. They cover the basics in plain English and will help you understand your main duties. Key starting points include INDG163 (risk assessment), INDG449 (health and safety made simple), and any documents specific to your main hazards.
Browse INDG documents →Need to comply with specific regulations?
Check for an ACOP first. Major regulations like COSHH, Manual Handling, and Work at Height all have associated ACOPs. Following the ACOP is the clearest way to demonstrate compliance.
Browse ACOP documents →Managing specific or complex risks?
HSG publications provide detailed technical guidance. Use them when you need comprehensive information about managing particular risks, such as Legionella (HSG274), COSHH (HSG97), or working at height (HSG33).
Browse HSG documents →About Our Summaries
All our pages link to the official HSE publications. Our summaries help you understand which documents are relevant to your situation and what they cover, but you should always refer to the official HSE publication for complete guidance.
HSE publications are regularly updated. We monitor for changes and keep our summaries current, but always check the HSE website for the latest versions.