your health at work

We spend much of our lives at work. It can have a big impact on our physical and mental well-being. At worst it can make us ill, or even kill. Avoidable accidents injure, maim or kill every day.

But far more common are the everyday ailments, aches and pains of the modern workplace - the headaches, back problems, stress and bullying and the problems of particular workplaces - the offices, shops and call centres.

There is much we can all do to look after ourselves - making sure we take proper screen breaks, adjusting our chairs properly, not ignoring early signs of problems. But employers also have a strong legal and moral obligation to provide safe and healthy workplaces.

This section of workSMART is all about keeping well at work. It gives you the information to make sure that you can nip problems in the bud. It explains your legal rights and duties, the obligations of your employer and shows how they can be enforced. And if worst comes to worst it takes you through how you can take a claim against your employer.

You can search our questions database, browse questions by subject by choosing one of the chapters above, or use our technical jargon buster. Alternatively, you can browse all the questions in this section.

This health database was developed for workSMART by Philip Pearson and Becky Allen, and has been edited and updated by TUC experts. We have done our best to make sure it is up to date and accurate. You should always seek individual advice based on your own circumstances from a qualified adviser before taking action based on the information here. Please read our full legal disclaimer.