At Prostart we are committed to Health and Safety and ensuring our learners have sufficient knowledge to keep themselves safe and abide by the Law.
Health & Safety Act Work Act 1974
The Health & Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) was established in 1974 and was designed to help protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of employee's along with other people such as visitors and members of the public that are affected by the companies work activities.
The Act itself can be split into three main groups these are: -
Employees may be at risk from certain illnesses/injuries from their job/work they do. For instance a person who spray paints cars would be more at risk from developing breathing difficulties such as asthma.
The condition or environment that people work in; if a workplace is particularly noisy workplace may lead to hearing problems or even deafness
Poor attitude or behaviour can contribute to accidents happening. This can happen as a result of carelessness, lack of/poor concentration, haste or ignorance of correct company procedures.
Under the Health & Safety at Work Act everyone within a company has a responsibility towards Health & Safety including, employers, employees, self employed individuals, designers, manufactures, suppliers and any people in control of work premises. If at any time the Act is breached or is thought to of been breached the Health & Safety Executive has to right to:
If a Health & Safety Executive issues either an Instruction, Improvement or Prohibition notice this must be carried out by law within the time allowed. Failure to do so may result in prosecution.
Everyone has a responsibility for keeping the workplace safe!
What if an accident does happen?
If an accident does occur within a workplace the correct procedure must be followed. This means that any accident, instance of near miss or case of ill health must be entered into the company accident book. By doing this it provides a written record which can be used, if needed, for any investigation or prosecution. By law any accidents that result in death, injury, dangerous occurrence or disease must be reported to the appropriate enforcing authority.
What does an employer need to do to comply?
To comply with the Health & Safety at work act, employers are legally obliged to provide welfare facilities for their staff. This includes:
What does an employee need to do to comply?
It is not just employers that have responsibilities under the Act. Every person is responsible for their own work area, this could include: Cleaning up spills & removing obstacles, reporting faults & defects, operating machinery in accordance with procedure and following all safety instructions. In order to ensure maximum safety within the workplace it is advisable to:
Hazards & Risk Assessments
Hazards are anything that has the potential to cause harm. Examples of this can include fire, electricity, harmful substances, sharp tools, noise and damaged flooring. By carrying out risk assessments we are able to identify the potential hazards and put something in place to reduce the risk, they help people think about what could go wrong and ways to prevent accidents & ill health. Risk assessments are a vital requirement in maintain a safe working environment. It is a legal requirement to carry out Risk Assessments within every workplace.
To prevent injuries within the workplace we can:
Did You Know?
You carry out a risk assessment every time you cross the road? By looking both ways before you cross a road you are assessing whether there is any danger, thus preventing an accident looking before you cross. So maybe without knowing it you are already carrying out risk assessments nearly every day!
For example when working with electricity you should always take precautions to minimise the risk. By ensuring that:
If the risk cannot be removed completely, then Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be used to minimise the risk. These can include:
All PPE should carry the 'CE' symbol to indicate that the equipment complies with European standards. All equipment must be maintained and used according to manufacturer's instructions to ensure a safe working environment.
The recommended minimum temperature for physical work is 13 degrees centigrade
First Aid
A first aider is someone who is appointed and trained to recognised standards to administer first aid. It is a legal requirement that every company must have a suitable first aid kit and an appointed person who has received training. It is the appointed persons' responsibility to ensure that the first aid kit is kept stocked, the equipment is maintained and that the first aid kits are easily accessible. The appointed person is required to take charge of a sick or injured person including contacting the emergency services should the circumstances arise.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health - COSHH
Amended in 2002 COSHH was brought in to cover hazardous substances such as: cleaning chemicals, lead, asbestos, fumes, gases and living organisms such as fungal spores. An assessment must be carried out by employers to cover all of the above.
Health & Safety - The Law
What you should know:
Your employer has a duty under the law to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, your health, safety and welfare at work.
Your employer must consult you or your safety representative on matters relating to your health and safety at work, including:
Any changes which may substantially affect your health and safety at work, e.g. in procedures, equipment or ways of working.
In general, your employer's duties include:
In particular, your employer must:
Assess the risks to your health and safety
Make arrangements for implementing the health and safety measures identified as being necessary by the assessment
As an employee you have legal duties too! They include:
If you think there is a health & safety problem in your workplace you should first discuss it with your employer, supervisor, and manager. You may also wish to discuss it with your health & safety representative, if you have one.
You, your employer and your safety representative can get information on health & safety in confidence by calling HSE's Infoline on: 0845 345 0055 or logging onto the HSE website at: www.hse.gov.uk
For any further information on Health & Safety you may also contact Prostart's Health & Safety Officer - Steve Kitchingman.