We are making changes to improve the way we inform subscribers of updates to Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) (UK) and Codes of Practice (COPs) (Republic of Ireland) in LUS. The changes will appear in subscribers’ registers at the end of March 2026 and will reduce the volume of separate entries within a register to make managing ongoing compliance easier.
What are ACOPs and COPs?
ACOPs are documents approved by the Health and Safety Executive / Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland which provide practical guidance on complying with occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation. COPs are the Irish equivalent, approved by the Health and Safety Authority.
Why are ACOPs and COPs important?
ACOPs and COPs have quasi-legal status, meaning failure to comply with relevant requirements can be used in a court of law to prove a breach of legislation. This puts the burden of proof on a duty holder to evidence they have either complied with an ACOP / COP, or taken effective measures to meet the requirements in another way. Given the status of ACOPs and COPs it is important that subscribers stay up to date with any changes.
How will ACOPs and COPs be included in LUS?
Historically, LUS has contained dozens of separate entries for ACOPS and COPs, as well as having links to these documents within legislation entries. We are now consolidating these entries into 2:
- HSE and HSENI Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs)
- HSA Codes of Practice (COPs)
We also include links to ACOPs and COPs, as well as wider guidance documents, in legislation entries; these can be found in the ‘Resources’ section of an entry.
What changed will I see in my register?
The new entries will automatically be added to registers under the ‘Management of Health and Safety’ chapter and profile code, and the previous entries will be archived and no longer updated. If your register contains jurisdictions from the UK and the Republic of Ireland then both entries will appear in your register, otherwise the one relevant to selected jurisdictions will be added.
Each month we will use these entries to inform subscribers of any changes to ACOPS and COPs.
How should I manage an ACOP/COP entry?
We recommend subscribers keep these entries as relevant in their Health & Safety register and set the status as ‘White – Info Only’. This will ensure you continue to receive updates of changes and new publications.
Compliance comments and actions for relevant ACOPs and COPs should be captured under the entry for the associated legislation, rather than the ACOP/COP entry. For example, compliance with L24: Workplace health, safety and welfare. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Approved Code of Practice and guidance should be detailed under the entry for The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. N.B. The separate UK entry for Legionnaires’ disease. The control of legionella bacteria in water systems: Approved Code of Practice and guidance on regulations (L8) will continue to be available as a legislation entry in LUS to capture comments and actions for legionella control in the UK.
