Health and Safety in the Workplace

Health and safety isn’t purely precautionary, it is mandatory under British law. The Workplace Regulations Act of 1992 stipulates certain welfare requirements which all workplaces must abide by. Failure to meet these requirements can result in public prosecution or a civil lawsuit if an accident occurs on the employer’s premises.

The best way to ensure your organization is covered is to either procure the advise of a certified Health and Safety consultant or train a member of staff who can be kept up-to-date with any changes in regulations.

Reed Learning offers a range of Health and Safety courses from 1-day First Aid and Fire Warden Training courses through to a 4-day IOSH Managing Safely course which provides participants with an Institute of Occupational Safety and Health certificate. The Managing Safely course includes all the information you’ll need to know for compliance, plus added guidance on how to measure workplace performance and best practice investigative techniques in case anything goes wrong.

Until you can get your knowledge up-to-date, here are some basic health, safety and welfare requirements (welfare is also mandatory) for the workplace.

Health

-Good ventilation including the supply of fresh, clean air
-Appropriate room temperature for the working environment. A workspace where a lot of strenuous activity is involved should be a few degrees cooler than an office environment where less movement is occurring
-Adequate lighting
-No noxious fumes
-Containers for waste materials must be provided
-Premises should be clean and tidy with regular removal of refuse
-Adequate working space as opposed to cramped conditions

Safety

-Walkways and corridors clear of obstacles, especially fire exits
-Sign posted fire exits
-Drainage in wet areas
-Secure buildings that are in good repair
-Non-slip surfaces
-Well lit internal and external areas, especially for secure entry and exit in the evening
-Hand rails on ramps and stairs
-Doors that don’t swing open into corridors
-Accessible fire extinguishers which are regularly checked
-Escalators and lifts equipped with emergency stopping devices
-First Aid equipment available
-Suitable workstations including chairs and tables that can be adjusted or the provision of footstools if required
-Easy access to controls and equipment from the seated position
-Power chords that are secured to the floor or furniture to prevent tripping
-Electrical equipped should have regular safety checks
-Glass partitions should have clear markings such as an opaque strip, to prevent people running into them

Welfare

-Fresh running water
-Toilet facilities for both male and female unless each facility has a lockable door
-Soap and hand towels or hand drier
-Shower facilities if the work involves the employees clothes getting dirty
-Rest facilities
-Lockers or hanging space and changing facilities if the staff are required to change into uniforms

The points above are largely common sense and only scratch the surface of workplace occupational health and safety requirements. Manual handling, construction sites, operating machinery, working with hazardous chemicals and risk assessments are important areas that facilities managers must be aware of.

For more information contact the Health and Safety Executive or enroll now for one of the many health and safety courses available online.