Safety at work

The Law states that the employer has legal obligations to ensure a healthy and safe workplace. But there are certain legal health and safety duties that the employee too must meet.

The employees duties include the below:

1. Taking reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by what work they do.
2. Listening and co-operating with their employer on health and safety matters.
3. Correctly using work items provided by your employer, including (PPE) personal protective equipment, in accordance with instructions or training.
4. Not interfering with or misusing anything provided for your health and safety that may hinder or affect your safety at work.
5. If you have specific queries on safety at work issues in your workplace, first ask your boss, or - if you have one - your safety representative or trade union representative

If you think your employer is exposing you to any kind of risk or is not carrying out proper legal duties, and you have pointed this out without getting a satisfactory response, you can contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who treat all contacts in confidence - call infoline - 0845 3450055

If you are an employee and you are unsure about the risks in your place of work, your employer has to give you this information and, where necessary, instruct and train you on how to deal with the risks. Your employer is also obliged to consult you on health and safety issues, either directly or via a safety representative. People tend to forget that lifting can cause serious injuries if not done properly, thus manual handling training is essential for any jobs that require any kind of continuous lifting.

Employers actually have a duty to provide manual handling training courses to their staff. Manual handling training is a legal requirement of the Manual Handling Regulations that provide the main source of health & safety regulation for lifting & carrying loads at work. It is these operations that are referred to as health and safety manual handling tasks. Below are some points that are often found in training videos or guides:

All staff, especially anyone who has to lift, carries and move items as part of their work whether they work in offices, the library or in catering. Managers and supervisors may also find the course of interest as it covers their responsibilities.

1. Knowledge of the definition of manual handling and responsibilities of managers/supervisors.
2. An understanding of the legal background and risk assessment an understanding of the first principles of manual handling.
   Knowledge of weight guidelines.
3. An understanding of the basic structure of the spine and injuries that can occur if items are mishandled.
4. Moving an inanimate object (box) and moving a trolley problems and dangers of poor manual handling moving and handling as a team.

See also:

• fire extinguishers
• fire safety equipment
• emergency eye wash
• first aid supply
• workplace health and safety

Disclaimer: Business Health & Safety UK have provided this advice on the basis that the content and advice contained within these documents is to the best of our knowledge accurate at the time of publication. The Business Safety Company does not accept any liability for the accuracy of the information provided in the above' and website pages.