Compliance · Paying for kit
One question, two very different answers depending on what the garment is. Protective equipment the job requires: the employer pays, no exceptions. Branded uniform and everyday workwear: a policy question — with legal guard-rails people forget.
The split
PPE — anything the risk assessment requires for protection: safety boots, hi-vis, gloves, FR kit, eye protection. The law is blunt: the employer provides it free, maintains it and replaces it (the 2022 rules). "We'll deduct the boots from your first wage" is not a lawful policy for required PPE.
Uniform and ordinary workwear — branded polos, smart trousers, the non-protective wardrobe: no general legal duty to fund it. Most employers do (it's their brand on the chest), some operate purchase or contribution schemes, and the contract or policy sets the terms. The edges are where trouble lives: required purchases and deductions must not take pay below the National Minimum Wage in the relevant pay period — a rule that has caught major employers with "buy black shoes" dress codes — and deductions from wages need a contractual basis or written consent.
Quick answers
| The item | Who pays | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Safety boots the site mandates | Employer | Required PPE — free by law |
| Replacement for worn-out hi-vis | Employer | Maintenance duty travels with PPE |
| Branded polos | Policy — usually employer | Brand asset, not PPE; contract decides |
| 'Wear smart black trousers' | Usually the worker — with the NMW floor | Dress code, not uniform — but forced costs can't undercut minimum wage |
| A better boot than the issued one | Worker's choice | Upgrades are personal; the free option must still exist |
| Lost or deliberately damaged kit | Policy territory | Reasonable, contractual recovery terms — tread carefully |
Questions
Not if the job requires them — PPE identified by the risk assessment must be provided free, including replacements. Employers can offer optional upgrades workers pay toward, but a free compliant option must always exist.
There's no general legal duty to fund non-protective uniform — the contract or policy decides, and most employers fund branded kit. The guard-rail: required clothing costs or deductions must not take pay below the National Minimum Wage in the pay period.
Only with a contractual basis or prior written agreement, and never below the minimum-wage floor for required items. Deductions for lost or damaged kit are policy territory that needs the same footing — and required PPE can't be charged for at all.
Whatever the risk assessment says the team needs, it's stocked, certified and priced for volume.