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British health and safety law is based on the
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and under this law employers
must adopt certain duties to employees and members of the public.
Any risks to health and safety must be assessed
by your employer and arrangements must be made to implement any
measures deemed necessary. If a company has five or more employees
a health and safety policy statement must be drawn up and must include
any health and safety arrangements in force.
All employees must cooperate with health and
safety policies and emergency procedures must be in place. There
must be first aid facilities available and it is essential that
elements such as temperature, washing facilities and ventilation
satisfy requirements. Equipment in the workplace must be used correctly
and be suitable for its intended use, undergoing proper maintenance.
Exposure to dangerous substances must be prevented or well controlled,
and precautions must be taken against danger from electrical equipment,
noise, radiation and flammable or explosive hazards.
Manual handling operations which may be hazardous
must be avoided and the risk of injury reduced, free protective
equipment or clothing should be given where necessary free of charge
and health monitoring should be provided. Safety signs should be
in place where necessary and should be maintained, and any dangerous
occurrences, injuries and diseases should be reported to health
and safety enforcers.
These are, in general, an employer's legal obligations,
but there are legal requirements of employees too, such as being
responsible for your own health and safety with consideration for
people who might be affected by your actions. As an employee you
are also expected to cooperate with employers on health and safety
issues, using work items correctly and not to misuse anything that
is provided for your welfare.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
It is The
Health and Safety Executive's responsibility to enforce health
and safety law within the UK. Although guidance and approved codes
of practice give good advice, it is essentially up to employers
to decide how they implement these in the workplace and they have
the freedom to decide how to control any risks they identify.
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Dominic Wigley