- Workplace Safety Tutorial
- Workplace Safety - Home
- Workplace Safety - Introduction
- Workplace Safety - Importance
- Workplace Safety - Planning
- Roles & Responsibilities
- Workplace Hazards
- Workplace Safety - Health Hazards
- Workplace Safety - Manager’s Role
- Safety & Health Program
- Workplace Safety - Training
- Importance of Training
- Stress Management
- Workplace Safety - Violence
- Identify Company Hazards
- Drug & Alcohol Abuse
- Workplace Safety - Writing the Plan
- Plan Implementation
- Workplace Safety Resources
- Workplace Safety - Quick Guide
- Workplace Safety - Useful Resources
- Workplace Safety - Discussion
Roles and Responsibilities
We have now understood that workplace safety is very important and plays an important role in any organization. Let us understand then the roles and the responsibilities which are to be followed for creating a healthy and safe workplace.
Employers have a number of duties under the Act. The different needs are divided into the following headings −
- Common duties of Employers
- Supplying Information to Employees
- Lessons, Training & Administration of Employees
- Emergencies and serious and close dangers
- Securing and Obstructive Measures
- Hazard Recognition & Risk Evaluation
- Safety Statement
- Mutual Effort
- Health Observation & Medical fitness to work
- Safety Agent
- Employee Discussion
- Punishment
Let us now discuss in brief about each responsibility in detail.
Common Duties of the Employer
To protect the safety, health and welfare at work of the employees.
To supply systems of work that are planned, organized, performed, preserved and rethought as appropriate so as to be safe and risk-free.
To supply and maintain opportunities and arrangements for the welfare of employees at work.
To give information, instruction, training and management, where necessary.
To execute the safety, health and welfare plans necessary for protection of employees.
To construct and review emergency plans and procedures.
Information to Employees
When giving information to employees, employers must safeguard that it is given in such perfect form, manner and language that it is suitable to be understood by the employees concerned.
Where persons from other organization are engaged in work activities as per an employer’s agreement, the employer must protect that the person’s employer receives the above details.
The employer must ensure that very capable persons are appointed as safety agents of officers.
The employer must provide details relating to the following before a fixed term or temporary employee start to work.
Lessons, Training and Administration of Employees
The employer must ensure that −
All details, training and management is given in a manner, form and language that is honestly suitable to be understood by the employee(s) concerned.
Employees receive, during time off from their work but without loss of pay, sufficient health, safety and welfare training including, in details, information and order relating to the particular work to be executed and measures to be taken in an emergency.
Training must be modified to take account of new or changed risks in the workplace.
Emergencies and Serious and Close Dangers
The employer must give sufficient plans and procedures to be followed and measures to be taken in the case of emergency or serious and close danger.
These plans should −
Provide measures for first aid, fire-fighting and property eviction taking into account of the nature of the work being carried out and the size of the place of work.
Set out essential contacts with accurate and dependable emergency services.
Appoint employees who are needed to apply these plans, procedures etc.
Protect that all appointed employees have sufficient training and equipment available to them.
Securing and Obstructive Measures
The employer must −
Nominate a sufficient number of capable persons to carry out the functions related to the protection of employees and give them sufficient time and means to do those functions.
Make arrangements for co-operation between the capable persons and the safety agent.
Give favor to capable persons within their employment period by nominating a capable person to higher position or by rewarding him/her.
Hazard Recognition and Risk Evaluation
The employer must −
Locate the risks and hazards (Risk or Hazard Identification).
Assess the potential threats from the Risks or Hazards (Risk Assessment).
Bring improvements or changes in the situation involving the risks (Risk Control).
Evaluation of the control measures to reduce risks.
Safety Statement
Employers must have a written Safety Statement, which is a document that outlines how an organization deals with safety and health of the workplace and the employees. Usually, Safety Statement should be two-fold, such as −
Steps to Prepare Safety Statements −
Devising a suitable but dynamic health and safety policy.
Regular carrying out of Risk Assessment.
Revising safety measures after risk assessment.
Record the findings of safety assessment.
Reviewing the safety programs and bring updates if necessary.
Identifying every possible threats and hazards from materials, equipment, chemical and work activities.
The Safety Statement should state −
The hazards recognized and risks evaluated.
The safety and precautionary measures taken and the resources provided.
The emergency plans and proven methods.
The names, job titles, positions, duties of anyone appointed with safety responsibilities.
The Safety Statement should be brought to the attention of −
Employees at least yearly or when there is any alteration.
Newly engaged employees upon the initiation of employment.
Other persons at the place of work who may be revealed to any specific risk.
The employer must analyze the Safety Statement if −
There is a notable alteration to the matters it connected to.
There is any other reason to believe that it is no longer valid.
If an employer who employs three or fewer employees is busy in an activity for which there is a Code of exercise for that type of activity, they can fulfill their duty in relation to Safety Statements by abiding such Code of Practice.
Mutual Effort
Where employers share a place of work, they must −
Act jointly in obeying with and applying the applicable legal supply.
Act Jointly in relation to safety and safeguarding of employees.
Inform each other, respective employees, safety representatives etc. of all hazards.
Health Observation and Medical Fitness to Work
Employers are needed to ensure that health observations suitable to the risks that may be experienced in the place of work is obtainable to all employees.
All work-related activities and occupation should be conducted under appropriate regulation so as to ensure safety and health in the surroundings. Employees are needed to notify their employer or their employer’s Registered Medical experts if they are unfit to carry out an authorized work activity.
Safety Agent
The employer must −
See eye to eye with the safety agent in the frequency of perusal to take place.
Appraise any agents made to him or her by the safety agents and so far as fairly feasible take any action that he or she contemplated essential or appropriate with regard to those agents.
Allow the safety agents such respite from their work, without loss of pay, as is sensible to enable the safety agent to obtain the knowledge and training and time to dismiss their functions.
Inform the safety agent when an examination is taking place.
Give the safety agent a copy of the written verification, required under the Act and sent to the examiner, that a development or banning Notice has been obeyed with.
Employee Discussion
Employers are needed to −
Discuss with employees for the purpose of making and keeping safety arrangements.
Discuss with their employees and safety agents in good time regarding safety measures offered, the post of employees with safety responsibilities, action arising from or relating to the safety from and the halting of risks, the hazard recognition and risk evaluation.
Punishment
Employers are forbidden from inflicting punishment or menacing the employees, who are doing any duty and who make any complaints relating to safety and health.
An employee, while at work must −
Observe with all applicable legal provisions.
Take rational care to preserve the safety of themselves and others who might be influenced by their acts and deletion.
Offer to be rational, appropriate for testing, if reasonably needed by the employer.
Undergo adequate training as may be requisite.
Inform the employer or the employer’s appointed registered experts if they are suffering from any disease or physical or mental imbalances which influence their performance of work activities that could give rise to risks to the safety, health and welfare of persons at work.