Health Safety at Work etc. Act

In practice it has been agreed that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will operate as the de facto competent authority and that new Regulations will be made under the Health Safety at Work etc. Act and the European Communies Act - the Biocidal Products Regulations (BPR). 

Health Safety at Work etc. Act, 1974, published by H.M.S.O. Permit-to-Work Systems, published by CAP/ITB. 

To return to the Health Safety at Work etc Act, even the issue of what constitutes a "safe" workplace is argu in the courts, especially whether a woikplace is safe fix)m reasonably foreseeable danger. In the context of Section 29(1) of the Factories Act 1961, it has been said that "safe" should be interpreted in its normal English dictionary sense, for to add gloss or technical meaning to the word would reduce the protection afforded to workers by the Act, and that there was no implication of reasonable foreseeability of unsafe aspects intended by the drafters. 

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application to Environmentally Hazardous Substances) Regulations 1996 as amended... 

Unfortunately, deaths occur every year in industry due to accidents that are preventable. Accidents are more likely to occur where firms are under pressure to meet targets, and safety measures tend to be ignored. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was set up to administer the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and incorporates... 

These have been partly covered in Section 19.7.2. All gas-fired equipment should be designed to ignite, operate and shut down in a safe manner. Instructions to this effect should be clearly displayed. This is a requirement of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. In addition, such plant should comply with all relevant standards. 

Noise can constitute a danger to health, and therefore adequate precautions must be taken to protect personnel who are required to be in such an environment. The Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 has the power to control noise emissions, but the subject is complex. If it is anticipated that noise will exceed acceptable levels then... 

This Act has been much amended and now forms a relevant statutory provision for the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. Originally it provided for the registration and control of certain classes of chemical works. The Act has now been amended and the classes of premises, the scheduled works , are now included in the Health and Safety (Emission into Atmosphere) Regulations 1983 (amended 1989). There are 62 main categories of works, and in some cases only certain processes within a category are covered ... 

The Factories Act 1961 and the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 are the result of Bills, which, after being debated in Parliament, have received the Royal Assent, and now from part of criminal law. 

Some plant and equipment are immediately classified as confined spaces, but extreme caution is necessary in the assessment of other areas. Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health and safety at work of their employees this duty is so far as is reasonably practicable. Therefore, as work in confined spaces is potentially dangerous this Section of the Act clearly requires employers to ensure that there is no risk to their employees when working in such an area. 

Managers responsible for services within works, offices or premises have an additional task in that when engaging service contractors they then have joint responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 for the health and safety of the contractor s employees while on their premises. When engaging contractors to carry out work within the premises, systems must be implemented by which the contractor s employee works in a safe manner and does not create a hazard to the premises occupants or staff while carrying out this work. This responsibility is greater when there is an employee or service contractor working alone, as in most instances the premises communications do not allow for such circumstances (e.g. the lone employee may be working in remote areas such as plant rooms). 

To enable both company and contractor to comply with their specific responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974, a Lone Workers policy, supported by a method of assessment of potential hazards relating to the work to be carried out, should be prepared. Such a system would prove beneficial when, for any reason, the regular lone worker cannot be found. 

In the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 the following Sections apply ... 

The health and safety policy statement is your starting point to managing health and safety in the workplace. By law, (Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 section 2(3)) if you employ five or more people you must have a written health and safety policy. This contains your statement of general policy on health and safety at work and the organisation and arrangements for putting that policy into practice. 

This guidance is split into three parts. It contains a statement of general policy based on your legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Then you can record your organisational responsibilities and your arrangements to ensure the health and safety of your employees. Notes are included alongside each section to help you. Some useful publications are listed in the notes and at the end of this guidance. 

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 This is the Health and Safety Policy Statement of... 

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