Health and Safety Legal Obligations

Ask your employer or company security officer for the correct size. By law, an employee cannot be victimized because they are exercising their rights under health and safety legislation (for example, if you file a complaint against your employer). For more details on the basics of what employers need to do to get their company to comply with health and safety laws in a low-risk business, HSE has created a brochure called Health and Safety Easy. You are also responsible for your own occupational health and safety. You can refuse to do something that is not safe without being threatened with disciplinary action. If you think your employer is not fulfilling their responsibilities, talk to them first. Your security guard or union official can help. The HSA has published guidelines on risk assessments and safety statements (pdf). When a worker returns to work after maternity leave, any risk to her because she has just given birth or is breastfeeding must be eliminated. If this is not possible, the employee should be transferred to another «safe» job. If a move is not possible, she should be granted health and safety leave. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is responsible for the enforcement of occupational health and safety.

It informs employers, employees and the self-employed about occupational health and safety. For workspaces to provide a healthy and safe workplace, your employer should: First, the big one. Occupational health and safety, etc. The legislation may have been implemented in 1974, but it is just as relevant today as it was then. It is the legislation that allows other health and safety regulations to come into force. It is the driving force behind all health and safety books, policies, regulations and training. The Act sets out employers` general health and safety responsibilities as follows: There is a legal obligation to report certain types of workplace incidents to the competent authorities. It is the employer`s responsibility to protect the health, safety and well-being of its employees and others who may be affected by its activities. Employers must do everything reasonably possible to achieve this.

If none of these options are possible, the worker should be granted health and safety leave. This can continue until the start of her maternity leave. This is set out in section 18 of the Maternity Protection Act 1994. For more information on health and safety measures your employer should take, see the HSA`s general COVID-19 FAQ. The Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 is the main piece of legislation governing occupational health and safety in Northern Ireland. It sets out many of your employer`s responsibilities for your occupational health and safety. During health and safety leave, the worker is treated as if she were employed. This means that she continues to accumulate her entitlement to annual leave.

However, she is not entitled to leave on public holidays that take place during that period. Almost all specific health and safety legislation that generally applies to all labour relationships is set out in the Occupational Safety, Health and Welfare (General Application) Regulations 2007-2020. You can find them along with other relevant regulations on the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) website. The employer must also prepare a safety statement based on the risk assessment. The declaration should include details of the people in the workforce who are responsible for safety matters. Employees should be able to access this statement and employers should review it regularly. If employees feel that their employer is putting them at risk or not meeting their legal health and safety obligations, and if they have been informed but have not received a satisfactory response, employees may file a complaint with HSE. Exposure to COVID-19 can pose a health risk in your workplace. Information on how to safely return to work after COVID-19 closures can be found in our document.

Before we dive into the rules, let`s take a moment to talk about the responsibilities of the common law. Even if there were no health and safety laws on paper, employers still have obligations. According to the common law. It is a type of legislation that is adopted by the courts in case law and jurisprudence, rather than being set out in written regulations. Sikhs who wear turbans can legally refuse to wear head protectors for religious reasons, but Sikhs who do not wear turbans must wear head protectors. We`re here to help you and your business bring security to everything. By law, employers are responsible for managing health and safety. Below is a rough overview of how the law applies to employers. Remember that employees and freelancers also have important tasks. Health and safety laws apply to all employers, self-employed workers and employees in the workplace. This includes term employees and temporary workers.

You must follow official public health advice and guidelines. Be sure to follow good hygiene practices to protect yourself from infections. This includes regular and thorough hand washing and good respiratory hygiene. Watch this video clip for helpful tips. It defines the rights and obligations of employers and employees. It also provides for significant fines and penalties for violations of health and safety rules. This means ensuring that workers and others are protected from anything that can cause harm and effectively controlling any injury or health hazard that may occur in the workplace. Under health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to assess risks in the workplace.

Risk assessments should be carried out taking into account any hazards that may affect your workplace. If you have concerns about occupational health and safety, you should first discuss them with your employer or immediate boss. If you have a security guard, they could be your first point of contact.