night shifts were limited to 8 hours and night workers must be offered free medical assessments to ensure their suitability for nightwork; and records of all hours worked by all workers must be kept and remain available for 2 years. Workers are automatically protected from dismissal or detrimental treatment should an employer seek to deny them any of these rights or entitlements.

The 1999 Amendments have not affected workers' entitlements to rest periods or paid annual leave. Thus, in a working day lasting 6 hours or more workers must be allowed a 20 minutes rest break; 11 hours rest from work in every 24 hours period; and 24 hours rest each 7 day period (for 15-17 year olds read 30 minute; 12 hours; and 48 hours respectively). Employers can allow longer rests, the above are deemed to be the bare minimum.

With regards paid annual leave, workers who have completed 13 consecutive weeks' employment become entitled to 4 weeks' paid leave in any "leave year". For permanent workers the leave year is determined (normally) by company policy (e.g. the Company leave year runs from January to December or April to March etc). Anyone joining the company part way through the leave year will accrue holiday entitlement pro rata, the Regulations allow 1.5 days for every full calendar month worked rounded up to the nearest whole day. Workers on a temporary contract can either accrue holiday as above or their contract may state that their leave year begins on their start date.