Even though there can be no one solely accountable, as an employer, you hold most of the responsibility for workplace health and safety in your hands. The health and safety at work act 1974 defines the general duties of everyone from employers and managers to employees and underlines this fact. But what are employers legally responsible for and how have things changed in the months since the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are employers responsible for?
Risk assessments – In any working environment, employers must undertake risk assessments so that their workers have as much information as possible about workplace risks. This includes risks such as coronavirus and more sector-specific risks. The workplace must be inspected from top to bottom with all potential hazards being made aware of and reduced or eradicated wherever possible. These assessments exist to highlight not only how workers are protected but how they should interact with their environments.
Equipment – Employers must provide the right equipment so that their employees can carry out their roles safely and securely.
PPE – In the wake of the pandemic, it’s imperative that employees are provided with personal protection (PPE), particularly in roles that are customer-facing. This could be anything from face masks for restaurant staff to eyewear for those working with heavy machinery.
Health and safety policy – All employers must set up an emergency plan that not only informs staff about potential hazards but all relevant safety procedures. This includes everything from fire safety to first aid facilities and ensuring that best practices are being adhered to at all times.
Training – All businesses must appoint qualified first-aiders alongside a first aid kit stocked with all of the requisite equipment an employee might need in case of an emergency medical situation. As a rule, the HSE believes that there should be at least one first-aider for every 100 members of staff. In workplaces where hazards are higher-risk, however, it should be one for every 50 employees.
Communication – Health and safety matters are easy to ignore if there is no regular communication between an employer and their employees. This can mean everything from ensuring health and safety posters and reminders are displayed around the workplace to regularly informing staff members of any changes that might alter their own relationships to health and safety in the workplace and beyond.
Conditions – Employers must ensure the workplace meets certain conditions. This means carrying out maintenance work to ensure devices and systems are in full working order and providing suitable lighting in the workplace so that roles can be fulfilled comfortably. A comfortable temperature where staff can work without encumbrance is also desirable, as is adequate ventilation and access to fresh and purified air.