Legal Studies

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets out the main provisions for

securing and improving the safety, health and welfare of people at work. The 2005

Act replaces the Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act 1989.

The 2005 Act sets out: The requirements for the control of safety and health at

work. The management, organisation and the systems of work

necessary to achieve those goals. The responsibilities and roles of employers, the self-

employed, employees and others. The enforcement procedures needed to ensure that the

goals are met.

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work

Employers (including self-employed persons) are primarily responsible for creating and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

An employer’s duties include: Managing and conducting all work activities so as to

ensure the safety, health and welfare of people at work (including the prevention of improper conduct or behaviour likely to put employees at risk).

Designing, providing and maintaining a safe place of work that has safe access and egress, and uses plant and equipment that is safe and without risk to health.

Prevention of risks from the use of any article or substance, or from exposure to physical agents, noise, vibration and ionising or other radiation

EMPLOYERS DUTIES

To successfully manage safety and health, employers and self employed persons

should know what hazards are in the workplace. A hazard is defined as anything

with the potential to cause harm. A checklist of typical workplace hazards in

various employments is given below: 1. Slips, trips and falls. 2. Falls of persons from height. 3. Falls of material from height. 4. Hazards associated with the manual handling of loads. 5. Hazards from plant and machinery (for example,

exposure to dangerous

IDENTIFY THE HAZARDS

Guideline lifting and lowering weights by work zone

The employee may be at risk if: • He or she is physically unsuited to carry

out the task in question • He or she is wearing unsuitable clothing,

footwear or other personal effects • He or she does not have adequate or

appropriate knowledge or training. The outcome of the risk assessment under

Regulation 69 and its relationship to an individual employee

Individual risk factors

Clothes The clothing, footwear etc. worn by

employees must not impede safe manual handling, i.e. avoid slippery gloves, very

light footwear and loose clothing that may snag during lifting but ensure clothing does

not limit movement by being too tight

Physical Hazards

GHS PICTOGRAMS

(Hazadrous to human health) Health Hazards of lower Severity)

HEALTH HAZARDS

Environmental Hazard

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)