The Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

This Act sets out the general duties which employers have towards employees and members of the public; and employees have to themselves, their colleagues and the public. Regulations have been passed in recent years to support the Act.

Employers' duties

Employers are under a general duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all their employees at work. This includes:

• ✓The provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health.
• ✓Making arrangements to ensure safety and the absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transportation of articles and substances.
• ✓The provision of information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of their employees.
• ✓The maintenance of any place of work under their control, in a condition that is safe and without risks to health, and the provision and maintenance of a safe means of access to, and egress from, the place of work.
• ✓The provision and maintenance of a working environment for employees which is safe, without risks to health, and adequate with regard to facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work.

Employees & self-employed persons' duties

Employees and self-employed persons are under a duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety at work of themselves and any other people who might be affected by their acts or omissions, and to co-operate with their employers and others to enable them to comply with statutory duties and requirements.