“UK employment rights and the EU’ says decisions on which rights to keep – and which to amend or drop altogether – would be left to the government as it reviewed all UK laws linked to the EU,” noted TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady.

She added that any changes could let employers cut the benefits and protections currently due to UK workers. “The report notes that working time rules and UK health and safety laws covering a wide range of hazards underpinned and extended by EU legislation could be in the firing line.

“Other safety rights under threat could be those covering young workers, temporary workers and new and expectant mothers. Working people have a huge stake in the referendum because workers’ rights are on the line.”

According to the TUC general secretary, the current government has already shown their appetite to attack workers’ rights. “Unions in Britain campaigned for these rights and we don’t want them put in jeopardy. The question for everyone who works for a living is this: can you risk a leap into the unknown on workplace rights?”

Patrick McGuire, a solicitor advocate specialising in personal injury and health and safety law with Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Brexit could not remove totally the right to rely on European health and safety laws, but it would reduce them to a bare minimum.”

He added: “It will mean eventually that there will be no industry or employee safe from the vagaries of bad employers. No-one will be immune. The idea of paternal employers won’t work. People will be killed, injured and mistreated in their work.”