HSE is writing its first ever joint industry guidance on collaborative robots.
Not because the law blocked cobots. Because fear of getting it wrong did.
What was announced
On 10 June 2026, at London Tech Week, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) launched a project with government and industry to support the safe and responsible adoption of robotics at work.
HSE will partner with Automate UK and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to create practical guidance on how collaborative robots (cobots) can safely work alongside humans. The aim is to combine industry good practice with HSE regulatory expertise.
The first stage, due this summer, is meant to deliver regulatory clarity for cobots and give industry more confidence about how robots can work safely next to people.
Why HSE says this matters
Andrew Curran CBE, Director of Science and Chief Scientific Adviser at HSE, said guidance can give employers the confidence to innovate safely and improve productivity.
He also said that despite there being no barrier to adoption in health and safety law, a fear of non-compliance is limiting adoption. The joint HSE and industry guidance is intended to address that barrier.
What has not changed for employers
Guidance is welcome. It does not replace your existing duties.
If you already run cobots, or you are planning to introduce them, you still need a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. You still need control measures that match the real task, the real layout, and the real people on site.
Things worth checking now, before the guidance lands:
- Speed, force, reach and stopping distances near people
- Guarding, protective devices, and restart procedures
- Who is trained to work with the cobot, and who is not
- How maintenance, teaching and troubleshooting are controlled
- What happens when production pressure meets “just this once”
- How you evidence that you thought the risks through before someone gets hurt
Practical next step
If a cobot is already on the floor, pull the risk assessment and method statement and sense-check them against how the cell actually runs on a busy day, not how it looked in the sales demo.
If you are still shopping, build the safety case into the purchase decision. Do not treat it as paperwork you bolt on after install day.
Sources
- HSE press release (10 June 2026): https://press.hse.gov.uk/2026/06/10/britains-health-and-safety-regulator-to-create-its-first-ever-joint-industry-guidance-for-collaborative-robotics-in-the-workplace/
Have you got cobots on site already, or are you still waiting for clearer rules before you commit?
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