Employee Responsibilities for Health and Safety
While it is generally accepted that employers retain the main responsibilities for health and safety, if a good safety culture is to be built into an organisation it is vitally important that employees take a measure of responsibility for themselves and others. Stephen Thomas discusses why this is important and what can be done to promote it.
The legal situation
Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc
Act 1974 (HSWA) requires the employee 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 to co-operate with
his or her employer so far as is necessary to enable
that legal duties or requirements are complied
with. Section 8 of HSWA also requires that “no
person shall intentionally interfere with or misuse
anything provided in the interests of health, safety
and welfare in pursuance of any of the relevant
statutory provisions”.
This is just the start of the article, to view the full colour PDF please log in to the Members Only Area by clicking here