Health and safety responsibilities as an employer
Tools & Resources
Key learnings
- Employers are responsible for looking after their staff and others in the workplace.
- Risk assessments can be used to identify and mitigate hazards.
- Employee buy-in is critical when introducing a health and safety policy.
Looking after the health and safety of your staff at work is one of your primary obligations as an employer. In fact, there is legislation in place to ensure that workplaces are safe for all who enter them. Here, we talk through what the current rules are for employers and employees.
The Health and Safety at Work Act is a key aspect of workers’ rights in the UK. It determines the framework by which all workplace health and safety issues are managed.
The act is long and comprehensively covers the roles and responsibilities of both employers and employees. Thankfully, we’ve broken down the key information you need to know...
1
Employers
It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might engage with your business such as visitors and the public.
This means making sure that workers and others are protected from anything that may cause harm and effectively controlling any risks to injury or health that could arise in the workplace.
One of an employer’s main duties under health and safety law is to make regular risk assessments. These are carried out to identify and address anything that might cause harm in the workplace.
Employers must also provide information to staff and others about the risks in the workplace and instruct and train them on how to deal with these risks.
This consultation must be either direct or through a safety representative that is either elected by the workforce or appointed by a trade union.
2
Risk assessment
Your risk assessment is one of the main tools at your disposal when it comes to managing health and safety in the workplace.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has created numerous templates that can help you in creating a risk assessment. These can be found here.
The assessment can help you meet your statutory obligations under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
The process you should follow when conducting a risk assessment is as follows:
- Identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazard)
- Decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk)
- Take action to eliminate the hazard or if this isn’t possible, control the risk (solution)
Once you’ve carried out your risk assessment, it’s important to address any health and safety concerns you have uncovered and inform your employees of the action taken.
3
Employees
All workers are entitled to work in environments where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled.
Employees also have a duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions at work. They must co-operate with employers and co-workers to help everyone meet their legal requirements.
As a worker, if you have specific queries or concerns relating to health and safety in your workplace you should talk to your employer, manager/supervisor or a health and safety representative.
Generally speaking, you should always make sure you get proper training and understand and follow the company's health and safety policies.
You should also not interfere with or misuse anything that has been provided for your health and safety and report any injuries, strains or illnesses that you suffer as a result of doing your job so that your employer can change the way you work if necessary.
If you think your employer is exposing you to risks or is not carrying out their legal duties with regard to health and safety – and if this has been pointed out to them but no satisfactory response has been received – you should make a complaint to the HSE.
Next steps...
- Read up on your legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act and other key pieces of legislation for your industry here.
- Carry out a risk assessment using HSE templates.
- Make sure your employees are on board with your policies and are aware of any risks in the workplace.