subject: Safety and health at work [print this page] Safety and health at work Safety and health at work
So why is this necessary?
Over two hundred men and women are killed on the job yearly while several hundred thousand other people suffer from serious injury. Around 23.4 million trading days were lost in 2009/10 as a result of work-related health problems. The biggest reason for fatalities are falls from height and being struck by cars in the workplace. Meanwhile slips and trips are a usual reason behind injury.
Managing health and safety successfully
Businesses must be prepared to manage safety and health and in doing so they must be totally aware about the risks which are evident at work, have the ability to cope with those risks and ensure that the risks stay under control.
It would be unreasonable to expect an employer to get rid of all risks, it can't be done, although what it can do is at first identify the potential for loss and then manage them adequately. It does this via risk assessment which all businesses need to undertake.
In assessing the potential risks a business needs to look at each and every individual situation and analyse how severe the harm could be, who might be injured and how likely that was. The risks can be anything with the possibility to do harm. In considering the risk, it is not solely the workers who have to be in mind; casual workers, part-time staff and trainees all have to be borne in mind.
The law
It's law that firms with five or even more staff need to keep a record of their risk assessment which includes the main hazards identified, who is most vulnerable and what more must be done and why. Though this is a legal necessity, businesses do require a practical knowledge of the primary dangers inherent within their work.
Amongst the legislation that firms should adhere to is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which says that businesses must make sure the health and safety of others and applies to all work activities and office space. The act states the duties the employer must meet with regards to health and safety, but also those duties that are held by personnel, contractors and people in general.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also applies to each and every place of work and stresses that all risks must be evaluated and adjustments made if need be. Additionally, it states that steps should be taken to strengthen safety procedures at all opportunities and that teaching must be given in a way as to lower the potential risks of dangerous scenarios occurring.
Also, all firms must follow the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) with the firm required to report any work-related incidents, illnesses and near-miss incidents, while the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which place a responsibility on employers to make sure that the place of work is safe and appropriate for the tasks that are performed there.
It's also necessary for businesses to produce a poster giving basic health and safety information which also lets other individuals, often visitors to the property, know who the person accountable for health and safety is. Usually the greater the firm the greater information and guidance it'll need with health and safety.
Other action to be taken
Along with all the actions to be taken, such as risk assessments, conforming to the appropriate acts and regulations, the better firms will likely discuss issues of safety with their personnel, allowing them to raise any troubles of doubt. By taking a more inclusive approach to the entire problem of health and safety, bosses can help be sure that staff consider the matter seriously and that dangers are minimised because of this.
