Unit 1: Health, Safety and welfare
Employers have a general duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974 to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, your health and safety at work.
Specific responsibilities are listed in the HASAWA under the general duties to employees and are as follows:
• To ensure the health and safety of all employees.
• To provide safety systems of work, safe handling, storage and transport, information training and supervision, a safe place of work access and egress, and a safe environment.
• To provide a health and safety policy if there are five or more employees
• To observe the regulations on union appointed safety representatives.
• To consult and cooperate with employees on safety measures.
• To observe the regulations on safety committees.
• Not to charge for anything provided for safety. (Health and Safety Executive)
Under the HASAWA employees have the following general duties:
• To act with care for themselves and others e.g. to walk rather then run down a corridor.
• To cooperate with employer e.g. taking part in tool box talks.
• To use correctly anything provided for health and safety in accordance with any instruction or training e.g. safety glasses and hard hat.
• Not to recklessly interfere or misuse anything provided for health and safety e.g. letting off a fire extinguisher for fun.
The client, weather a landlord, private individual or a company, has many health and safety responsibilities. They must demonstrate an acceptable standard of health and safety. Under the Construction Design and Management Regulations 1994 (CDM Regulations) they have specific responsibilities:
• They have to appoint the planning supervisor.
• They must provide health and safety information about the work place where the work has to be carried out.
• They must appoint a competent, resourced, main contractor.
• They must ensure that the...