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Some of the key areas where legislation is likely to affect your grooming business are listed below. The list is not intended to be exhaustive.

Animal welfare legislation

You should be aware of animal welfare legislation that is designed to protect animals. The Animal Welfare Act brings together and modernises previous welfare legislation and ensures greater protection for all animals under human care or supervision in England and Wales. You will be responsible for the welfare of any animals you groom while they are in your care. Dog and cat codes of practice will probably be introduced in the near future.

Similar animal welfare legislation applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can get further information on animal welfare legislation throughout the UK from:

• the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in England and Wales
• the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in Northern Ireland
• the Scottish Government Rural Affairs and Environment Department

Hazardous substances

As you may be using harmful chemicals, such as organophosphates and carbamates, you should be aware of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). The Health and Safety Executive's interactive COSHH Essentials website gives you practical advice to help you control the health risks from chemicals.

Fire safety

You should be aware of your responsibility to comply with fire safety regulations – this means carrying out a fire risk assessment at your premises and putting in place fire precaution measures. These could include fire alarm systems and extinguishers as well as clearly signed escape routes. If you have five or more employees your fire risk assessment must be written down. You're responsible not only for the safety of your staff but also of anyone who might be on your premises, like customers or suppliers. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has produced several helpful guides for businesses. You can download these from the Communities website. Information about fire regulations in Northern Ireland is available on the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service website.

Health and safety

You must also make sure that you comply with health and safety legislation. This covers all aspects of work place health and safety. Employers have a duty to ensure the health and safety at work of all their employees and those with more than five employees must prepare a written health and safety policy statement. You should contact your local authority environmental health department for advice and guidance.

Further information and guidance leaflets on all aspects of health and safety are available on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) websites.

Employment legislation

Anyone employing staff must comply with employment legislation. Major pieces of legislation that you must be aware of include:

• The National Minimum Wage Act
• The Working Time Regulations
• The Employment Rights Act

You can get many helpful booklets on employment issues from your local Jobcentre.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and Invest Northern Ireland offer a range of guidance publications on many different aspects of employment legislation. These include The no-nonsense guide to government rules and regulations for setting up your business, which you download from the Business Link and Invest Northern Ireland websites.

There is also comprehensive guidance on employment legislation on the BIS website.

Disability Discrimination Act

Anti-discrimination legislation gives rights to disabled people in the following areas:

• employment. You must make sure that you do not treat a disabled employee or job applicant less favourably than someone else
• accessing goods and services. You must make sure that disabled people are not treated less favourably and that they can access any services you provide. You may need to make physical changes to your premises to ensure this

The Equality and Human Rights Commission and Equality Northern Ireland websites contain further information on your duties under the Act.

More information and guidance on legal matters

The Law Society operates the 'Lawyers for Your Business' scheme, which offers a free initial consultation with a participating legal firm.

HOTLINKS

www.defra.gov.uk | www.dardni.gov.uk | www.scotland.gov.uk | www.coshh-essentials.org.uk | www.communities.gov.uk | www.nifrs.org | www.hse.gov.uk | www.hseni.gov.uk | www.lfyb.lawsociety.org.uk | www.bis.gov.uk | www.businesslink.gov.uk | www.investni.com | www.equalityhumanrights.com | www.equalityni.org