Managing health and safety at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing health and safety at work - Essay Example The second piece of legislation ‘The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999’ whose main requirement is that employers ought to carry out risk assessments to eliminate or reduce risks. Those who employ five or more people should record the significant findings of a risk assessment. It is however not a requirement that insignificant risks should be recorded. Section 2 of The Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 places a duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. This should be done as far as is reasonably practicable. Employers are also required to consult with safety representatives from trade unions on matters to do with health and safety in the place of work. Employers who have more than five employees are required to have a written health and safety policy which should be brought to that attention of the employees. This section places a burden upon the manager not only to prepare a health and safety policy but it is clear that it is to be brought to the attention of the employees and it is trite that employees should know its contents. Consultations with trade union representatives are also mandatory. Section 4 places a duty on any person who is responsible for the place of work to make sure that the work premises, plant and machinery do not pose any danger the people who use the same. As a manager, one is required to ensure that the plant and machinery are properly maintained and thus when they are put to use, whoever is using them cannot be exposed to any harm while performing his or her responsibilities. The section could also require that the manager ensure that the employees are properly dressed and observe the laid down safety regulations at the work place (Stuhlmacher & Douglas, 2001). A competent person in the context of health and safety is one who has gone through some formal training and in addition has experience working with other people in a health and safety position. Such a person has a good grasp of safety systems of work and is able to carry out safety audits. A competent person will be able to recognize and control hazards, write risk assessments and maintain records. A competent person will be able to deal in an effective manner with the management as well as other members of staff in matters to do with safety in and out of the place of work. Such a person should be acquainted with information about the latest legislation which pertains to health and safety. A competent person would also be the one who passes such information to his employer and also to his fellow employees without any undue delays and does it in a good manner. Maintain a good knowledge of the latest legislation covering health and safety and pass that on to employees and their employer. A competent person should also have record over a period of time of successfully carrying out their Health and Safety responsibilities. This encompasses their actions in response to such situations and also expectation and discernment of potential threats and taking quick measure steps to forestall the occurrence any problem. For one to be competent they should also know what their limitations are and thus deal with those situations they can handle otherwise they should alert more competent authorities. One of the ways