We live in a free country, a democracy.
Its is therefore your duty to follow the rules laid out for one and all.
However..
No one will stop you from murdering someone, but you know its illegal and wrong and people do it anyway - then you have to deal with the consequences and face the full extent of the law "if" you are caught.
Same goes with H&S, and everything else we do in life (speeding, racially insulting someone the list goes on). Its not for others (police, politicians etc) to tell us what to do if their are new laws, its for us to find out if what we do is illegal or not.
So basically H&S legislation "should" be followed by all. However its mainly those commercial jobs that will insist on it, cos they are the one liable if anything happens. Then further down the line, you responsible to your employees if you are an employer, then you as a sole trader..
You have all this kit, for your own personal safety, and also when doing commercial jobs to comply with their requirements.
Dont forget insurance small print, check it covers you using ladders where you could have done it another way or a RA etc would advise not to use them. Insurance companies are not stupid, they WILL get out of paying if they can, they are a business to make money after all.