Whilst you may have covered legislation and responsibilities for you and your employer, it is an important area of health and safety which is worthy of a quick refresher.
Employer responsibilities
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Requires employers to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all employees and anyone affected by their work, so far as is reasonably practicable.
This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the risk in terms of money, time or trouble. This includes taking steps to control slips, trips and falls risks.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Requires employers to assess risks and, where necessary, take action to address them.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
Requires floors to be suitable, in good condition and free from obstructions. People should be able to move around safely.
This HSE poster explains your employer’s responsibilities.
You must take reasonable care of yourself and others who may be affected by your actions and inactions. You must comply with your employer’s arrangements for managing health and safety.
If you are an employee or working under someone else’s control, the law says you must:
- Inform your employer of any work situation you consider dangerous, or of any shortcoming in their protection arrangements for health and safety.
- Use all work items provided by your employer correctly, in accordance with the instructions you received to use them safely.
To avoid slips, trips and falls it is really important that:
Health and Safety Legislation
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have produced a hazard spotting checklist. You can access the list via this link. You can use or adapt this to suit your work environment.
The consequences of not following legislation and guidance on safety at work can be catastrophic.
This short video (3:43) from the Health and Safety Executive provides various examples of the consequences when things go wrong. We often think it cannot happen to us. By raising awareness and following guidance based on legislation, you can significantly reduce the risks of something happening to you.
You can click on the video settings if you would like to see the video narrative / subtitles.
You can visit the HSE’s website and view various resources and legislation using this link.
Health and Safety legislation exists to protect us all.
It is vitally important that both employers and employees follow the legislation.
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