It has been known for many years that most of the reported illnesses and injuries are claimed to be work related and therefore it became a legal requirement for an organisation, where five or more people are employed, to have a written Health and Safety policy statement in place, which is often governed by various legislations. The primary function of these legislations is to guide the employees on their responsibilities, shared with the employer, and to ensure the safeguarding of the health, safety and well being of workers and protection toward others, such as the public, and the outside environment that may be affected by the daily activities performed in the organisation. This essay will outline the key legislations covering health and safety management within a company comprising of microbiological containment laboratories, where the term 'containment ' refers to the way in which biological agents are handled in a laboratory setting in order to minimise the risk that they pose to humans and the environment. The regulatory body who promotes and enforces occupational health, safety and welfare at the workplace legislations is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Although many work environments have been covered by the regulations made under the powers of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), they must also bear in mind the regulatory influence of the European Communities Act 1972, which has already lead to many amendments in the UK laws. The HASAWA is
‘Health and Safety at Work Act or ‘HASAW’ is an act put in place by the UK parliament and is the main piece of health and safety legislation. This sets out that employers have a duty of care to all employees to protect their health, safety and welfare at work’.
‘The Health and safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain.’ - Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 (n.d.)
the home is fit for purpose and all equipment is all full working order and all
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASWA) is the most important Act of parliament relating to health and safety. The law requires both employers and employees to comply with health and safety legalizations. The Act sets out the general duties and responsibilities that employers have to their employees and to members of the public, and those that employees have to themselves and each other. The Health and Safety at Work Act is an ‘umbrella’ Act which includes various Regulations that can be revised to ensure the law is kept up to date. Details of the responsibility of an employer under the HASWA are given in The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare)
| HSE is the national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness. They are an independent regulator and act in the public interest to reduce work related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces. They provide information on all industries and the topics that they may need to cover.
There are many legislation acts relating to health and safety. These include :- • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulation (COSHH) • Manual Handling legislation 1992 • Reporting of injuries, dies eases and dangerous occurrences regulations (RIDDOR) • Food Safety Act 1990 • Health and Safety First Aid Regulations 1981 1.2 The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states the employer, employees and service users have a responsibility to ensure safety is well maintained in your place of work. Policies and procedures protect people by providing a set of rules and regulations that must be followed by care staff and organisations.
The main piece of legislation affecting the management of health and safety in educational establishments across all sectors is the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 (HSWA). This Act provides a framework for
The HSE is the UK government body responsible for enforcing health and safety at work legislation. The HSE also plays a major role in producing advice on health and safety issues, and guidance on relevant legislation. The role of enforcement is split between HSE and local authorities depending on the business sector
The last hazard that could occur within this setting is a security hazard. An example of a security hazard within Riverglade would be due to the house being an old Victorian house that has been converted there fire system may not be working correctly or may not even work at all. For example, the residents and staff are all asleep, a fire breaks out in the kitchen the staff, and residents are not made aware of the fire, as the fire alarms did not go off. This can then cause serious harm to residents and staffs that are asleep in the house, as they will inhale a lot of smoke causing damage to their lungs and in worse cases, this can result in death. This is more likely to happen in an old people’s home because where the staffs in the care
The purpose is to make sure people are not hurt or injured as a result of work or work related activities. Also, it encourages the standardise management of health and safety at work by employers to cooperate with employees to establish better systems in the workplaces. It is very important that all hazards in the workplaces are found, and eliminate if possible. If not, isolate or minimise the risk and notify the employees. The act describes the duties of employers and it covers all employees, self-employed people, and including trainees, and
Safety is the state of serenity being devoid of harm or any form of event that may be considered non-desirable. In any type of institution, be it, a business, school, industry, laboratory or even the common workplace, safety plays a major role in ensuring activities run smoothly and no-one gets hurt while doing their job. Safety encompasses protection from a wide host of potential hazards which could be physical, financial, emotional or biological. In the common workplace health is a major concern and infection control is the main aim of a safety handbook. Biosafety in the work setup starts by assuming every individual is a potential source of infection.
In 1974, the Health and Safety at Work Act, also referred to as HSWA, was put in place to make further terms for securing the health, safety and welfare of a person within a working environment, making it the prime piece of legislation to cover the occupational health and safety in Great Britain. Everybody within a workforce has the duty to obey the act in order to promote, stimulate and encourage high standards of health and safety so that themselves, their employees, their fellow peers and the members of the public feel safe. Employees must be provided with the appropriate clothing and equipment for their own safety and protection. Additionally, all machinery that is used, if needed, should be of high standards and regularly checked to make sure that it is still suitable for use.
(http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/classroom-checklist.pdf) HSE is the national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness. They are an independent regulator and act in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces
In Wales, there is a specific piece of legislation designed to protect the workforce and anyone else who could encounter hazardous situations while at work. This legislation is called the health and safety at work act 1974, often abbreviated to HASWA 1974.
2.3 ASSESS THE USE OF FLEXIBLE WORKING PRACTICE FROM BOTH THE EMPLOYEE AND THE EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE