Employee’s Responsibilities for Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the area of the act that stipulates employees’ duty to health and safety.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, sometimes referred to as HSW, HSWA, HASAW 1974, or HASAWA is an Act of Parliament that sets out the framework for managing workplace health and safety in the UK.
The act defines the general duties of everyone, from employers (section 2) and employees (section 7,8) to owners, managers, and maintainers of work premises, etc, for maintaining health and safety within most workplaces.
There is, however, further specific legislation for business sectors that operate within a higher-risk environment, such as the construction industry, chemical manufacturing, etc.
The act itself is a primary piece of legislation set out by the government. Other regulations which complement the HASAWA 1974 are known as statutory instruments (essentially secondary pieces of legislation that may also be referred to as delegated legislation).
In summary, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 outlines the legal duties that employers have to protect the health, safety and welfare at work of all of their employees. This also extends to other people visiting the workplace premises such as temporary workers, casual workers, self-employed workers, clients, visitors and the general public.
The three main objectives of HASAWA are:
- To secure the health, safety, and welfare of workers;
- To secure the health and safety of non-workers from hazards related to worksites; and
- To limit and control the use of dangerous substances within the United Kingdom.
As with OSHA’s General Duty Clause, HASAWA requires employers to take all reasonable precautions necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of employees, separately from any specific safety regulations contained in the act or secondary legislation. HASAWA also provides all employers with the same general duty to protect the health and safety of non-employees in the work area, including the general public.
In this article, we will concentrate on employees’ responsibilities for the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Employees responsibilities for health and safety at work act 1974
It shall be the duty of every employee while at work —
- To take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; and
- As regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, to cooperate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with.
Detail Employees’ responsibilities for Health and Safety at Work act 1974
- It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that they are working by the health and safety training that they have been provided. They must also utilize any controls and/or equipment provided in the interest of health and safety.
- If an employee identifies an unsafe condition, hazard, or risk within the workplace, then they must notify whoever is responsible for health and safety in that working environment.
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
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