Health and Safety - Occupational Health Services

Summary

 

Management of Health and Safety in Workplaces.
Workplace safety must be well managed.  Some of the areas to be considered are shown below:

• Safety Policies
• Risk assessment
• Training and information
• Systems of work
• Assessing your performance
• Consultation
• Safety documentation
• Contractors

 

Safety Policies

If you have five or more employees, you must prepare a written safety policy, which clearly sets out the organisation and arrangements for workplace safety. A safety policy is a working document that helps to clarify responsibilities for safety, formalise procedures such as accident notification and explain safety rules to staff. As such, it is the starting point for effective safety management.

Policies should include the following items as a minimum:

1. A brief statement of the company's commitment to health and safety.
2. Details of your organisation for safety including people and their responsibilities, and any committees or working groups.
3. Details of the main hazards in the workplace and precautions to be taken to control the risk of injury. This can include safety rules and procedures such as accident reporting, fire and first aid.
   The length of the policy will depend upon the complexity of your business; the Councils Officers will be able to advise further and guidance booklets are available. Your safety policy must be reviewed regularly to ensure it is still up to date, be actively brought to the attention of all staff and be signed and dated by senior company management.

Risk assessment

The management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places a duty on the employer to identify hazards in the workplace and assess the risks of injury that they present to both employees and non-employees. Non employees may include contract workers, customers and the public. Assessments and control measures identified need to be recorded and the information made available to employees. Employers are required to appoint a competent person to assist in undertaking these requirements. The self-employed are also required to assess the risk to their own safety. Specific risk assessments must be carried out for children (below minimum school leaving age 16) and young persons (17 years old and below) and also for new and expectant mothers.

Training and Information

Employees must be given information and training to enable them to carry out their duties safely. "The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: Approved Code of Practice" specifically identifies employer's responsibilities on training. Employees must understand the potential hazards and how to avoid them.

Under the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 every employer must display a poster or distribute a leaflet to employees: "Health & Safety Law - What you should know" - available from "HSE Books". The poster has spaces to write in the name and address of the enforcing authority for the workplace and the HSE's Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS). 

You should keep records of any training given - even "in-house" training. The records should include course content and people trained. Remember to pay particular attention to the training of young and inexperienced employees.

Systems of work

A quarter of all fatal accidents at work involve simple failures in systems of work. Employers are under a legal duty to provide safe systems of work, i.e. ways of doing things for their staff. It is unlikely that safe systems will occur in a workplace naturally so it is important that tasks are assessed with safety in mind and that the following items are considered:

1. What are the risks from this task?
2. How can these risks be eliminated or minimised by a safe system of work?
3. Does everyone know and understand the safe system of work?

Safe systems can involve the use of protective clothing, proper lifting techniques or the use of proper equipment or guards. For certain jobs, such as machinery maintenance or working in confined spaces, safe systems of work should be incorporated into a permit-to-work system in which workers must read and sign written instructions prior to starting work.

Assessing your performance

Inspections by managers and supervisors should check that the workplace is safe, that guards and other items of protective equipment are being used; that safe systems of work are being followed and that the measures identified from the risk assessments are being applied. Such inspections should aim to improve safety standards and to demonstrate the importance of safe working to staff. Improvements should be made and checked where problems are identified.

Consultation

It is essential for employers to consult their employees if they want to improve your health and safety standards as their co-operation and knowledge is vital. Where unions are recognised in the workplace staff are legally entitled to appoint their own safety representatives to discuss health and safety matters with their employers. They are also entitled to carry out inspections and investigation in the workplace.

In non-union workplaces it is still a legal requirement (Health & Safety (Consultation with employees) Regulations 1996) for employers to consult employees about matters which affect their health and safety. Employers may either consult them all directly or through representatives employees have elected.

Employees are also legally required to consult their employers if they consider there are situations or shortcomings which affect their health and safety.

Safety documentation

A basic checklist for a typical business is given below; you may require more than this depending upon the nature of your equipment and business.

1. Safety Policy.
2. Information for employees poster or leaflet "Health & Safety Law".
3. Risk assessment (including fire risk assessment) and control measures identified.
4. Certificate of Employers Liability Insurance displayed.
5. Letters and reports from Council or HSE inspections.
6. Your own inspection reports
7. Staff training records.
8. Accident book and reporting system
9. Electrical, gas, lift, pressure system and other equipment test certificates and records.
10. Asbestos survey results.
11. Noise assessment (if required).

Contractors

Employers should exchange information with the contractor on the risks identified in the work place (risk assessments). The contractor is also obliged to provide similar information concerning any risks they are likely to introduce and the preventative measures identified.
The health and safety duties of employers mean that they have particular responsibilities where contractors and sub-contractors are concerned.

The checklist on the following page outlines some of the necessary safeguards:

1. Choose contractors that are competent and reliable.
2. Require contractors, preferably in writing, to comply with all relevant statutory requirements.
3. Require contractors, preferably in writing, to comply with your company's safety rules. Provide sufficient information on the detail of these rules; you may use your safety policy to do this.
4. Obtain a copy of the contractor's safety policy (if the company is large enough to require one) and satisfy yourself as far as you are able that it is adequate.
5. Assign responsibility for the contractor to a supervising officer for the duration of their time on site so that the necessary safety checks and management supervision can be made.
6. Consider restricting the contractor to certain areas of the premises.

 

Further Help

 

In addition, free help and advice is available 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday) from:

HSE Information Services,
Caerphilly  Business Park
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG

Tel :   0845 345 0055
Minicom:  0845 408 9577
email:    hse.infoline@natbrit.com
Fax:    0845 408 9566

Or via the internet by visiting:
www.hse.gov.uk  

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
The Grange, Highfield Drive, Wigston, Leicester LE18 1PP.
Tel: 0116 571399.
www.iosh.co.uk
British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)
5/6 Melbourne Business Court, Millennium Way, Derby DE24 8LZ.
Tel: 01332 298101.  Provides a register of occupational hygiene practitioners.
www.bohs.org.uk
National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH)
Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QW
Tel: 0116 282 4000  Provides details of safety courses.
www.nebosh.org.uk
Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA)
Cannon House, The Priory, Queensway, Birmingham B4 8BS.
Tel: 0121 200 2461.
www.rospa.org.uk
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Chadwick Court, 15 Hatfield, London SE1 8DJ
Tel: 020 7828 6006.
www.cieh.co.uk

 

Free leaflets and priced publications are available from

HSE Books,
PO Box 1999,
Sudbury,
Suffolk,
CO10 2WA.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q Do I have to register my business?

A Yes it is a legal requirement for you to register either with the Health and Safety Executive if your business comes under their enforcement or with Regulatory Services at Barnsley MBC.

Q How do I register?

A By completing and returning the form appropriate to your business. The form will either be form F9 for manufacturing premises or form OSR1 for other premises. If you are unsure about who to register with please contact:    hse.infoline@natbrit.com.

Q Are there any other activities I must register?

A Yes if you are carrying out any of the following activities on your premises you must register with Regulatory Services:

• Hairdressing
• Electrolysis
• Tattooing
• Ear piercing
• Acupuncture
• Keeping dangerous wild animals
• Pet shop.
• Riding establishments
• Dog or Cat boarding
• Dog Breeding
• Any activity which involves cooling towers or evaporative condensers. This may include premises that have air conditioning and refrigeration equipment

If you want to register or are unsure whether you need to register, please contact us at:

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Regulatory Services
PO Box 602 
Barnsley
S70 9FB

Tel: 01226 772468
email: regulatoryservices@barnsley.gov.uk
Fax: 01226 775699

Last modified on 1/10/2008