The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974

An Act to make further provision for securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work, for protecting others against risks to health or safety in connection with the activities of persons at work, for controlling the keeping and use and preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of dangerous substances, and for controlling certain emissions into the atmosphere; to make further provision with respect to the employment medical advisory service; to amend the law relating to building regulations, and the Building (Scotland) Act 1959; and for connected purposes.

The management of health and safety at work regulations 1992

The Act sets out the general duties which employers have towards employees and members of the public, and employees have to themselves and to each other. These duties are qualified in the Act by the principle of so far as is reasonably practicable, in other words, an employer does not have to take measures to avoid Or reduce the risk if they are technically impossible or if the time, trouble or cost of the measures would be grossly disproportionate to the risk. What the law requires here is what good management and common sense would.

Work Place Regulations 1992

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and their associated Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and guidance (Ref 1) clarify and consolidate existing law. For the first time they establish a consistent set of standards for most workplaces including schools, colleges and universities. They replace earlier legislation which applied only to factories or offices and introduce some new elements, including requirements relating to windows and rest facilities (in particular dealing with provisions for non-smokers and pregnant and nursing mothers).

Control of substances hazardous to health 1994

Every year exposure to hazardous substances at work affects
the health of many thousands of people. Common examples include lung disease (e.g. dusty conditions), skin irritation, dermatitis or skin cancer (e.g. frequent contact with oils, contact with corrosive liquids), occupational asthma (e.g. sensitisation to isocyanates in paints or adhesives), toxic fumes, occupational cancer etc. These provide a framework to help protect people in the workplace against health risks from hazardous substances. The substances may be used directly in the work (e.g. cleaning chemicals, chemical reagents) or may arise from the work (e.g. dusts, fumes and waste products).

Personal protective equipment 1992

PPE is defined in the Regulations as all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his health or safety, eg safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses. Hearing protection and respiratory protective equipment provided for most work situations are not covered by these Regulations because other regulations apply to them. However, these items need to be compatible with any other PPE provided.

Fire precautions (amendment) 1999

Do these Fire Safety Regulations apply to me? Yes, if you employ staff. Every employer has to ensure that he/she complies with the requirements of these fire safety regulations, relating to every workplace that is under his/her control. What am I required to do? When considering fire doors carry out a Risk Assessment of your premises. You should assess the fire risks in the workplace i.e. sources of ignition, combustible materials, and:

The health and safety display screen equipment 1992

The Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (DSE Regulations implement the requirements of the European Directive on minimum health and safety requirements for work with display screen equipment. They were updated and amended in 2002. 'Display screen equipment' means any alphanumeric or graphic display screen, regardless of the display process involved.

The effects these regulations have had on the public services

The health and safety act makes the public services a healthier and cleaner place to work. Fire precautions make the workplace in the public services a lot safer in case of a fire hazard; every member of the public services must learn the fire precautions from the employer. There will be hazardous signs all over the public services because of dangerous chemicals, from normal things such as cleaning chemicals.