Health and safety laws apply to all businesses, however small; as well as to employees and the self-employed. The law is also there to protect the public from workplace dangers.
Every employer has a legal duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable the health, safety and welfare at work of all his/her employees. They also have a duty to ensure that people not in their employment are not affected by work activities.
The general duties placed on employers are:
- To provide and maintain plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health.
- To put in place arrangements for ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances.
- To provide information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure the health and safety at work of his/her employees.
- To maintain any place of work under his/her control in a condition that is safe and without risks to health.
- To provide and maintain for his/her employees a working environment that is safe, without risks to health, and adequate as regards facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work.
If, as an employee, or a member of the public, you have cause to complain about any of the above requirements you can contact the Council’s Environmental Health Commercial team.