Employers have significant responsibilities and duties under Health and Safety Legislation in the UK, and need to ensure that they have robust systems in place to manage workplace risks.

In this article, we discuss employer’s responsibilities and duty under Health and Safety legislation in the UK.

It is critical that workplace Health and Safety forms part of any organisations key priorities.  Having in place a structured and well planned out Health and Safety Management System will support in preventing people from getting ill, having accidents and will aid in delivering positive employee wellbeing.

Occupational Health and Safety focuses on:

• Protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health;
• Assessment of an employee’s occupational environment, and adapting to their physiological and psychological capabilities;
• Promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social wellbeing of workers in all occupations;
• Prevention of worker absence due to poor health caused by their working conditions.

Employers have significant responsibilities and duties under Health and Safety Legislation in the UK, and need to ensure that they have robust systems in place to manage workplace risks.  The information highlighted below (data taken from https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ ) details the negative impact that work related Health and Safety issues have had in the UK during 2018/19:

• 1.6 million working people suffering from a work-related illness
• 2,446 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2018)
• 111 workers killed at work
• 693,000 working people sustain an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey
• 65,427 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
• 38.8 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
• £16.2 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2018/19)

Employers’ Health and Safety duties

Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, employers have a legal duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees whilst at work.

All businesses must identify the hazards within the workplace and assess the risks from those hazards and implement control measures to mitigate those risks. This is defined in law under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. All businesses must carry out risk assessments, however, where you have 5 employees or less these do not have to be written down. It is generally best practice to document this though in order to be able to communicate it effectively.

There is a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 to have a written Health and Safety policy, which includes steps on how to implement the policy. Employers must provide the relevant training as part of the implementation process. For most small, low-risk businesses just a few straightforward measures are all that’s needed.

For more information and for support and guidance for putting in place a robust Health and Safety Management System please contact us at: gmorris@conformityplus.co.uk – 07792500176

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