CGLI 2330 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology Level 2 Inst Tech: Unit 201 – Working Effectively & Safely in an Electrotechnical Environment

Unit 03 - Health & Safety Responsibilities

The College at Clacton Unit 03 Page 1 August 2011

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Unit Aims

By the end of the unit participants should be able to:

State the legal responsibilities within the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) for the a) Employer b) Employee

(Syllabus Reference: 1.1.01)

State the main responsibilities of employers towards the maintenance of health and safety a) making the workplace safe and without risk to health b) keeping dust, fumes and noise under control c) ensuring plant and machinery are safe and that safe systems of work are set

and followed d) ensuring articles and substances are moved, stored and used safely e) providing adequate welfare facilities f) providing adequate information, instruction, training and supervision necessary

for staff’s health & safety g) providing a health & safety policy statement if there are five or more employees h) providing any protective clothing or equipment specifically required by the

Health & Safety Act i) reporting certain injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the enforcing

authority j) providing adequate first aid facilities undertaking precautions against fire,

providing adequate means of escape and the means of fighting fire k) displaying a current certificate as required by the Employers Liability

(Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 (Syllabus Reference: 1.1.04)

State the responsibilities of an employee as being a) taking reasonable care for your own health and that of others who may be

affected by what you do or may not do b) co-operating with your employer on health and safety issues c) not interfering with or misusing anything provided for health and safety or

welfare in the workplace d) reporting any identified health and safety problem in the workplace, in the first

instance to the supervisor, manager or employer (Syllabus Reference: 1.1.05)

CGLI 2330 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology Level 2 Inst Tech: Unit 201 – Working Effectively & Safely in an Electrotechnical Environment

Unit 03 - Health & Safety Responsibilities

The College at Clacton Unit 03 Page 2 August 2011

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Many governments have passed laws aimed at improving health and safety at work but the most important recent legislation has been the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA). The purpose of the Act is to provide the legal framework for stimulating and encouraging high standards of health and safety at work and puts the responsibility for health safety at work on both the employers and employees.

Failure to comply with requirements made under the Health & Safety at Work Act can result in one or more of the following penalties:

The serving of an ‘Improvement Notice’.

The serving of a ‘Prohibition Notice’

A fine

Imprisonment.

Employers’ Responsibilities

The employer has a duty to care for the health and safety of employees (Section 2 of the Act).

Employees Responsibilities

The employee has a duty to care for his own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by his actions (Section 7 of the Act).

The rules and regulations of the working environment are communicated to employees by written instructions, signs, symbols and codes and by other employees as they go about their work.

Employers Responsibilities

The employer has a duty of care for the health and safety of employees. To do this the employer must ensure the:

Working conditions and standard of hygiene are appropriate,

Plant, tools and equipment are properly maintained,

Necessary safety equipment, such as personal protective equipment, dust and fume extractors and machine guards, are available and properly used,

Workers are trained to use equipment and plant safely.

Items that fall within the area of the employers’ responsibility specifically include:

a. making the workplace safe and without risk to health

b. keeping dust, fumes and noise under control

c. ensuring plant and machinery are safe and that safe systems of work are set and followed

d. ensuring articles and substances are moved, stored and used safely

CGLI 2330 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology Level 2 Inst Tech: Unit 201 – Working Effectively & Safely in an Electrotechnical Environment

Unit 03 - Health & Safety Responsibilities

The College at Clacton Unit 03 Page 3 August 2011

e. providing adequate welfare facilities

f. providing adequate information, instruction, training and supervision necessary for staff’s health & safety

g. providing a health & safety policy statement if there are five or more employees

h. providing any protective clothing or equipment specifically required by the Health & Safety Act

i. reporting certain injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the enforcing authority

j. providing adequate first aid facilities

k. undertaking precautions against fire, providing adequate means of escape and the means of fighting fire

l. displaying a current certificate as required by the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.

Employees Responsibilities

The employee has a duty to care for his own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by his actions. To do this the employee must:

taking reasonable care for your own health and that of others who may be affected by what you do or may not do

co-operating with your employer on health and safety issues

not interfering with or misusing anything provided for health and safety or welfare in the workplace

reporting any identified health and safety problem in the workplace, in the first instance to the supervisor, manager or employer

The rules and regulations of the working environment are communicated to employees by written instructions, signs, symbols and codes and by other employees as they go about their work.