Employers are required to carry out a risk assessment and identify and put in place health and safety strategies tailored to the workplace.
Enforcing officers, such as HSE, and insurance companies, are increasingly looking for the evidence of effective health and safety management in workplaces. Insurance companies will sometimes refuse cover or ask for increased premiums where health & safety policies and procedures are not in place.
The Regulations contain the following provisions.
1. Employers must undertake a risk assessment of all the risks associated with work activities and work processes, and ensure it is regularly reviewed and revised. 2. Employers must have arrangements for planning, organising, controlling, monitoring and reviewing the control measures. 3. A Competent Person must be nominated to assist the employer with health and safety arrangements. 4. Where the risk assessment has identified risks to health, a health surveillance programme must be put in place. 5. Appropriate emergency procedures must be in place for cases of serious and imminent danger. 6. Appropriate training, during work hours, must be given to enable employees to work safely. 7. Employers sharing a workplace must co-operate in matters of health and safety. 8. Temporary workers, e.g. agency staff, must be provided with appropriate, understandable, information to enable them to work safely. 9. Employers have a duty to ensure that employees are capable of performing the intended tasks safely. 10. Employees must work in accordance with any training they have received.