Employer’s responsibility

1. Provide and maintain machinery, equipment and other plant, and systems of work that are
safe and without risk to health. (‘Systems of work ’ means the way in which the work is
organised and includes layout of the workplace, the order in which jobs are carried out or
special precautions to be taken before carrying out certain hazardous tasks.)
2. Ensure ways in which particular articles and substances (e.g. machinery and chemicals)
are used, handled, stored and transported are safe and without risk to health.
3. Provide information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure health and
safety at work. Information means the background knowledge needed to put the
instruction and training into context. Instruction is when someone shows others how to do
something by practical demonstration. Training means having employees practise a task
to improve their performance. Supervision is needed to oversee and guide in all matters
related to the task.
4. Ensure any place under their control and where their employees work is kept in a safe
condition and does not pose a risk to health. This includes ways into and out of the
workplace.
5. Ensure the health and safety of their employees ’ working environment (e.g. heating,
lighting, ventilation, etc.). They must also provide adequate arrangements for the welfare
at work of their employees (the term ‘welfare at work ’ covers facilities such as seating,
washing, toilets, etc.).

Safety policy

OSHA requires every employer employing five or more people to prepare a written statement of
their safety policy. The written policy statement must set out the employer’s aims and objectives
for improving health and safety at work.
The written policy statement needs to be reviewed and revised jointly by employer and
employees’ representatives as appropriate working conditions change or new hazards arise.
The functions of an appointed safety representative include:

• investigating potential hazards and dangerous occurrences in the workplace;

• investigating complaints relating to an employee’s health, safety or welfare at
work;
• making representations to the employer on matters affecting the health, safety or
welfare of employees at the workplace;
• carrying out inspections of the workplace where there has been a change in
conditions of work, or there has been a notifiable accident
Employees’ responsibilities

Under the OSHA it is the duty of every employee while at work:

1. To take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others who may be
affected by what they do or don’t do: This duty implies not only avoiding silly or reckless
behavior but also understanding hazards and complying with safety rules and procedures.
2. To co-operate with their employer on health and safety: This duty means that you should
inform, without delay, of any work situation which might be dangerous and notify any
shortcomings in health and safety arrangements so that remedial action may be taken.

Regulations for health and safety at work

The six regulations are:

i. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

ii. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
iii. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations
iv. Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations
v. Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations
vi. Manual Handling Operations Regulations

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

These Regulations set out broad general duties which operate with the more specific ones in
other health and safety regulations. They are aimed mainly at improving health and safety
management.

The Regulations require employers to:

• assess the risk to health and safety of employees and anyone else who may be affected so
that the necessary preventive and protective measures can be identified and record the
significant findings of the risk assessment
• introduce preventive and protective measures to control the risks identified by the risk
assessment;
• set up an effective health and safety management system to implement their health and
safety policy to include organising, planning, monitoring, auditing and review, and
keeping records;
• provide appropriate health surveillance of employees required by specific health and
safety regulations,
 • appoint competent people to help devise and apply measures needed to comply with
health and safety legislation;
• establish emergency procedures to be followed in the event of serious and imminent
danger to persons at work;
• arrange necessary contacts with external services, e.g. first aid, emergency medical care
and rescue work;
• give employees information about health and safety matters;
• work together with other employers who share the same workplace;
• give other employees and self-employed people working in that business information
about health and safety matters;
• make sure that employees have adequate health and safety instruction and training and
are capable enough at the job to avoid the risk;
• provide health and safety information to temporary workers to meet their special needs;
• ensure that young persons employed by him are protected at work from risks to their
health and safety which are a consequence of their lack of experience, absence of
awareness and immaturity. The Regulations also:
• place a duty on the employees to follow health and safety instructions and training in the
use of equipment.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)

The Regulations require risks to people’s health and safety from equipment they use at work to
be prevented or controlled.

Work equipment has wide meaning and, generally, any equipment which is used by an employee
at work is covered:

• machines such as circular saws, drilling machines, photocopiers, mowing machines,

tractors, dumper trucks and power presses;
• hand tools such as screwdrivers, hammers and hand saws;
• lifting equipment such as lift trucks, elevating work platforms, vehicle hoists and lifting
slings;
• other equipment such as ladders and water pressure cleaners;
• an installation such as a series of machines connected together, an enclosure to provide
sound insulation or scaffolding.

The specific requirements of PUWER include:

• The suitability of work equipment – equipment must be suitable by design and

construction for the actual work it is provided to do and installed, located and used in
such a way as to reduce the risk to users and other workers, e.g. ensure there is sufficient
space between moving parts of work equipment and fixed and moving parts in its
 environment. Ensure that, where mobile work equipment with a combustion engine is in
use, there is sufficient air of good quality.
• Maintenance of work equipment in good repair – from simple checks on hand tools such
as loose hammer heads to specific checks on lifts and hoists. When maintenance work is
carried out it should be done in safety and without risk to health.
• Information and instruction on use of the work equipment – including instruction sheets,
manuals or warning labels from manufacturers or suppliers. Adequate training for the
purposes of health and safety in the use of specific work equipment.
• Dangerous parts of machinery – guarding machinery to avoid the risks arising from
mechanical hazards. The principal duty is to take effective measures to prevent contact
with dangerous parts of machinery by providing:
o fixed enclosing guards;
o other guards
o Protection devices;
o Protection appliances (jigs, holders);
o Information, instruction, training and supervision,
• Protection against specified hazards. These hazards include:
o material falling from equipment;
o material ejected from a machine;
o parts of the equipment breaking off, e.g. grinding wheel bursting;
o parts of equipment collapsing, e.g. scaffolding;
o overheating or fire, e.g. bearing running hot, ignition by welding torch;
o explosion of equipment, e.g. failure of a pressure-relief device;
o explosion of substance in the equipment, e.g. ignition of dust.
• High and very low temperature – prevent the risk of injury from contact with hot (blast
furnace, steam pipes) or very cold work equipment (cold store).
• Controls and control systems – starting work equipment should only be possible by using
a control and it should not be possible for it to be accidentally or inadvertently operated
nor ‘operate itself’ (by vibration or failure of a spring mechanism). Stop controls should
bring the equipment to a safe condition in a safe manner. Emergency stop controls are
intended to affect a rapid response to potentially dangerous situations.
• Isolation from source of energy – to allow equipment to be made safe under particular
circumstances, e.g. when maintenance is to be carried out or when an unsafe condition
develops.
• Stability – there are many types of work equipment that might fall over, collapse or
overturn unless they are fixed. Most machines used in a fixed position should be bolted
down. Some types of work equipment such as mobile cranes may need counterbalance
weights. Ladders should be at the correct angle (a slope of four units up to each one out
from the base), correct height (at least 1 metre above the landing place) and tied at the top
or secured at the foot.
 • Lighting – if the lighting in the workplace is insufficient for detailed tasks then additional
lighting will need to be provided, e.g. local lighting on a machine
• Markings – there are many instances where marking of equipment is appropriate for
health and safety reasons, e.g. start/stop controls, safe working load on cranes, types of
fire extinguishers and pipework colour coded to indicate contents. Markings may use
words, letters, numbers or symbols and the use of colour and shape may be significant.
• Warnings – normally in the form of a permanent printed notice or similar, e.g. ‘head
protection must be worn’. Portable warnings are also necessary during temporary
operations such as maintenance. Warning devices can be used which may be audible, e.g.
reversing alarms on heavy vehicles, or visible, e.g. lights on a control panel.

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations

These regulations cover a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and apply to most
workplaces.

The Regulations set general requirements in three broad areas, which are outlined here.

1. HEALTH
i. Ventilation: enclosed workspaces should be sufficiently well ventilated.
ii. Temperature: inside the workplace should provide reasonable comfort without the
need for special clothing.
iii. Hot and cold environment: insulate or provide air cooling or as last resort
provide protective clothing.
iv. Lighting: should be sufficient to enable people to work without experiencing eye
strain and to safely move about. Provide artificial lighting if necessary.
v. Cleanliness and waste materials: regularly clean workplace to ensure dirt and
refuse is not allowed to accumulate. Spillages and deposits should be removed
and cleaned as soon as possible.
vi. Room dimensions: work rooms should have enough free space to allow easy
access and to move about within the room and not restrict the workers’
movements while performing their work. This includes a adequate ceiling height.
vii. Workstations: should be arranged so that each task can be carried out safely and
comfortably and allows adequate freedom of movement. Work surface height and
seating should be arranged appropriate to the work and worker.
2. SAFETY
i. Maintenance: equipment that could fail and put workers at serious risk should be
properly maintained and checked at regular intervals, as appropriate, by
inspection, testing, adjustment, lubrication, repair and cleaning.
ii. Condition of floor: floors and traffic routes should be sound, not uneven or
slippery and should be free of obstructions and substances which could cause a
slip, trip or fall.
 iii. Falls: every vessel containing a dangerous substance should be adequately fenced
or covered to prevent a person falling into it. A vessel includes sumps, silos, vats,
pits or tanks.
iv. Transparent surfaces: windows and transparent or translucent surfaces in doors,
gates, walls and partitions should be made of a safety material and marked to
make it apparent.
v. Windows: it should be possible to reach or operate skylights, operable windows
and ventilators safely. Controls should be placed so that people are not likely to
fall through or out of windows. All windows and skylights in a workplace should
be able to be cleaned safely.
vi. Organisation of traffic routes: there should be enough traffic routes of sufficient
width and headroom to allow people on foot or vehicles to circulate safely and
without difficulty. A traffic route is defined as a route for pedestrian traffic,
vehicles or both, and include any stairs, staircases, fixed ladders, doorways,
gateways, loading bays or ramps. Potential hazards on traffic routes used by
vehicles and pedestrians should be indicated by suitable warning signs. Suitable
road markings and signs should be used to alert drivers.
vii. Doors and gates: should be suitably constructed and if necessary be fitted with
safety devices. Doors and gates which swing in both directions should have a
transparent panel. Sliding doors should have a stop to prevent the door coming off
its track. Upward opening doors should have an effective device to prevent them
from falling back.
3. WELFARE
i. Toilets: suitable and sufficient toilet facilities shall be provided which are
convenient and allow everyone at work to use them without unreasonable delay.
The rooms containing them shall be adequately ventilated and lit and kept in a
clean and orderly condition. Separate conveniences should be provided for men
and women.
ii. Washing: washbasins should have hot, cold or warm running water. Showers or
baths should be provided if required by the nature of the work, e.g. dirty or
particularly strenuous.
iii. Drinking water: an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water, normally
obtained directly from the mains supply, shall be provided for all persons in the
workplace.
iv. Accommodation for clothing: provide accommodation for work clothing and
workers’ own personal clothing so it can be hung in a clean, warm, dry, well-
ventilated place. Where special work clothing becomes dirty, damp or
contaminated due to work activities, it should be accommodated separately from
the workers’ own clothing. In this case, separate changing rooms should be
provided.
v. Rest and eating meals; provide suitable and sufficient rest facilities equipped
with an adequate number of tables and chairs. Where workers regularly eat meals
at work, provide suitable and sufficient facilities which would include preparing
or obtaining a hot drink. Good hygiene standards should be maintained in those
parts of the rest facility used for preparing or eating food and drink.