Managing Health and Safety at Work Essay

Employers come a general profession chthonian section 2 of the wellness and gumshoe at Work etc profess 1974 to ensure, so far as is sensibly practicable, the wellness, hold onative and welfargon of their employees at tend. nation in control of non-domestic premises have a duty ( on a lower floor section 4 of the cloak) towards peck who be non their employees plainly expend their premises. The Regulations expand on these duties and are intended to protect the wellness and prophylacticty of everyone in the decease settle, and ensure that adequate well-being facilities are exitd for plurality at work.These Regulations labor to ensure that work spots meet the wellness, prophylactic and eudaemonia needs of every(prenominal) members of a workforce, including hatful with disabilities. Several of the Regulations require things to be equal. Regulation 2(3) makes it clear that things should be suited for some(prenominal)one. This overwhelms people with disabili ties. Where necessary, parts of the workplace, including in special doors, passageways, stairs, showers, washbasins, lavatories and workstations, should be made aditible for alter people.Under plane section 8 of the process the employer has a duty to ensure the employees natural rubber, health and public assistance at work as far as is reasonably practicable. In order to prevent workplace injuries and visitation health the employer is need, among other things, to * raise and view as a safe workplace which physical exertions safe plant and equipment * keep open pretends from use of some(prenominal) article or substance and from moving-picture show to physical agents, noise and vibration * Prevent both improper conduct or conduct interchangeablely to put the pencil eraser, health and welfare of employees at lay on the line * Provide instruction and training to employees on health and asylum * Provide protective costume and equipment to employees * Appointing a co mpetent soulfulness as the organisations natural rubber incumbent Employees dutiesThe duties of employees while at work are set give away in Section 13 of the Act. These include the following * To hire middling care to protect the health and safety of themselves and of other people in the workplace * Not to engage in improper behaviour that result thwart themselves or others * Not to be under the influence of drink or drugs in the workplace * To undergo any commonsense medical or other opinion if requested to do so by the employer * To report any defects in the place of work or equipment which might be a danger to health and safety Risk assessment and safety masteryUnder the Safety, health and benefit at Work Act 2005 every employer is required to carry out a risk assessment for the workplace which should identify any hazards present in the workplace, assess the risks arising from much(prenominal) hazards and identify the steps to be interpreted to deal with any risks. The employer moldiness besides prepare a safety averment which is based on the risk assessment. The affirmation should besides contain the details of people in the workforce who are prudent for safety issues. Employees should be given access to this statement and employers should review it on a regular basis. The health and Safety potency has published guidelines on risk assessments and safety statements (pdf). Protective equipment and measuresThe employer should tell employees about any risks that require the wearing of protective equipment. The employer should provide protective equipment ( much(prenominal) as protective clothing, headgear, footwear, eyewear, gloves) in concert with training on how to use it, where necessary. An employee is under a duty to take reasonable care for his/her feature safety and to use any protective equipment supplied. The protective equipment should be provided free of charge to employees if it is intended for use at the workplace only. Usua lly, employees should be provided with their own personal equipment. There is a break away of measures that employers must take in find to visual pageantry units (VDUs). These include examining the face and glare, the operators position in front of the VDU, the keyboard and the software used. Operators must be given adequate breaks from the VDU. In addition, employers must arrange for eye tests and, if required, make a contribution towards the purchase of prescription eyeglasses. The health and Safety sanction (HSA) has published a list of frequently asked questions about display screen equipment (VDUs).Reporting accidents All accidents in the workplace should be reported to the employer, who should mark the details of the incident. Reporting the accident will help to safeguard social welfare and other rights which whitethorn arise as a result of an occupational accident. An employer is make to report any accident that results in an employee missing 3 consecutive days at wo rk (not including the day of the accident) to the Health and Safety Authority. Health and safety haveAn employer should carry out separate risk assessments in relation to pregnant employees. If at that place are particular risks to an employees pregnancy, these should be either re go or the employee moved away from them. Under Section 18 of the Maternity Protection Act 1994 if neither of these options is possible, the employee should be given health and safety leave from work, which whitethorn continue up the beginning of maternal quality leave. If a medical student certifies that night work would be incompatible for a pregnant employee, the employee must be given election work or health and safety leave. Following an employees return to work after(prenominal) maternity leave, if there is any risk to the employee because she has of late given birth or is breastfeeding, it should be removed. If this is not possible, the employee should be moved to option work.If it is not po ssible for the employee to be designate alternative work, she should be given health and safety leave. If night work is dependent by a doctor as being unsuitable after the birth, alternative work should be provided. If alternative work cannot be provided, the employee should be given health and safety leave. Time spent on health and safety leave is do by as though the employee has been in employment, and this eon can be used to roll up annual leave entitlement. The employee is not empower to leave for any public holidays that amount during health and safety leave. During health and safety leave, employers must expect employees their normal fee for the first 21 days (3 weeks), after which Health and Safety Benefit may be paid. Health and safety and raw peopleAn employer should carry out a separate risk assessment in relation to an employee under 18 eld of age. This risk assessment should be carried out before the young person is employed. If certain risks are present, inc luding risks that cannot be recognised or avoided by the young person due(p) to factors like lack of experience, the young person should not be employed. Violence in the workplaceThe possibility of violence towards employees should be addressed in the safety statement. For example, factors like the isolation of employees and the presence of cash on the premises need to be interpreted into account. Proper safeguards should be put into place to eliminate the risk of violence as far as possible and the employee should be provided with appropriate means of minimising the remaining risk, for example, protective covering glass. BullyingOne of the employers duties is to prevent improper conduct or behaviour (which includes intimidate). An employer should have established procedures for dealing with complaints of bullyrag in the workplace and deal with such complaints immediately. Ignoring complaints of bullying could leave an employer open to a possible claim for damages by an employee . It is advisable for an employer to have an established injustice procedure to deal with complaints of bullying. An employee who feels that he or she is the victim of bullying can also refer the matter to a Rights Commissioner know How to apply below. The Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work (pdf) sets out guidance notes for addressing bullying in the workplace. HarassmentThe Employment equality Acts 1998-2011 place an obligation on all employers in Ireland to prevent harassment in the workplace. Under this law, you are entitled to bring a claim to the Equality royal court and your employer may be obliged to pay you compensation if you are harassed by reason of your gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, spectral belief or membership of the traveler community. VictimisationUnder the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 the employee may not be victimised for practice s ession his or her rights under safety and health legislation such as make a complaint. This means that the employer may not penalise an employee by dismissal or in some other way, for example, by disciplinary action or by being treated less favourably than other employees see Enforcing your rights below. Health and Safety AuthorityThe Health and Safety Authority see Where to apply below is prudent for enforcing health and safety at work in Ireland. It provides information to employers, employees and self-employed people on workplace health and safety. Its publications include a Short Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (pdf) and a set of plain Safety leaflets which are aimed at small sell or food businesses in particular. The Simple Safety leaflets are available in other languages.