Health & Safety at Work Act The health and safety at work act 1974 was developed to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for everyone in a company. It is the single most important act governing health and safety in the country and applies to all types of work and work places. The H&SAWA 1974 is a long and complicated document, but the two main sections that relate to use are; Section 2 – General duties of employers to their employees. Section 7 – General duties of employees at work.

General duties of employers to their employees. It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees. Without prejudice to the generality of an employer's duty under the preceding subsection, the matters to which that duty extends include in particular; the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health; arrangements for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances; the provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees; so far as is reasonably practicable as regards any place of work under the employer's control, the maintenance of it in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and the provision and maintenance of means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks; the provision and maintenance of a working environment for his employees that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe, without risks to health, and adequate as regards facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work.

General duties of employees at work. It shall be the duty of every employee while at work; to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; and as regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, to co-operate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with. Duty not to interfere with or misuse things provided pursuant to certain provisions. No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare in pursuance of any of the relevant statutory provisions.

RIDDOR RIDDORI stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations Sometimes referred to as RIDDOR 95, or RIDDOR for short, these Regulations came into force on 1 April RIDDOR requires you to report some work- related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities.

Why should I report? Reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement. The information enables the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities (referred to as ‘the enforcing authorities’) to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents. Death or major injury If there is an accident connected with work and some one is killed or suffers a major injury (including as a result of physical violence); you must notify the enforcing authority without delay (eg by telephone).

Why should I report? Reportable major injuries include: Fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes; Amputation; Dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine; Loss of sight (temporary or permanent); Chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye;

Why should I report? Over-three-day injury If there is an accident connected with work (including an act of physical violence) and someone suffers an over-three day injury you must send a completed accident report to the enforcing authority within ten days. An over-three-day injury is one which is not major but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do the full range of their normal duties for more than three days (including any days they wouldn’t normally be expected to work such as weekends, rest days or holidays) not counting the day of the injury itself.

Why should I report? Disease If a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work related disease you must send a completed disease report to the enforcing authority.

Why should I report? Reportable diseases include; Certain poisonings; Some skin diseases such as occupational dermatitis, Lung diseases including occupational asthma, Asbestosis, mesothelioma; Infections such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax, legionela and tetanus; Other conditions such as: certain musculoskeletal disorders, and hand-arm vibration syndrome.

Why should I report? Dangerous occurrence If something happens which does not result in a reportable injury, but which clearly could have done, it may be a dangerous occurrence which must be reported immediately (eg by telephone) to the enforcing authority.

Why should I report? Dangerous occurrences include; Collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment; Explosion, collapse or bursting of any closed vessel or associated pipework; Electrical short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion; Collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over five meters high, or erected near water where there could be a risk of drowning after a fall; Unintended collision of a train with any vehicle;

RISK ASSESSMENT Risk assessments are a very important part of the safety system in the workshop. Every piece of equipment that you use and task that you perform whilst in the workshop has had a risk assessment performed on it to evaluate the potential harm to you, others or the equipment itself and the likelihood of this harm happening. Hard copies of all the risk assessments relevant to the workshop can be found either next to the equipment or in the risk assessment file located in the workshop. During the course of your training you will be expected to do your own risk assessments this will give you a better understanding of the risks associated with producing your practice and assessment pieces. On the next page you will see the guide used to rate the risks in the workshop you should spend time reading it so you can better appreciate how the high, medium and low ratings are derived.

Likelihood TERM DEFINITION High Would be expected to occur more than once - people are exposed to the hazard continuously - the hazard is difficult to see - the hazard is encountered during adverse environmental conditions Medium Would be expected to occur once - if the control measures provided depend on individuals using them or adjusting them on every occasion Low May possibly occur - if control measures are included that do not depend on individuals adjusting them, or if training is provided and regularly repeated.

Severity TERM DEFINITION High Multiple major injuries, single severe / disabling injury or Occupational illness Medium RIDDOR major injury per event resulting in more than three days absence from work Low Injury requiring medical attention and leading to absence from work up to three days

Risk Matrix SeverityLikelihood HighMediumLow High Medium HighMediumLow MediumLow

Risk Rating TERM DEFINITION High Review urgently required determining whether the risk can be removed, reduced, or controlled. Medium Risk not acceptable, hazards and controls need investigation to consider reasonable and practical improvements. Low Acceptable

COSHH Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health or COSHH for short is a bit like a risk assessment but it only relates to chemicals and other substances that can harm others, our environment or us. Every substance used in the workshop will have a COSHH assessment on it. This assessment will include the hazard presented by the use of the substance, any special PPE requirements associated with the use of the substance, the time you can be exposed to the substance, the emergency procedure to be followed if exposed to the substance and how to dispose of the substance once finished with it. Hazardous substances include: substances used directly in work activities (eg adhesives, paints, cleaning agents); substances generated during work activities (eg fumes from soldering and welding); naturally occurring substances (eg grain dust); biological agents such as bacteria and other micro-organisms. Examples of the effects of hazardous substances include: skin irritation or dermatitis as a result of skin contact; asthma as a result of developing allergy to substances used at work; losing consciousness as a result of being overcome by toxic fumes;

To comply with COSHH you need to follow these eight steps: Step 1 Assess the risks Step 2 Decide what precautions are needed Step 3 Prevent or adequately control exposure Step 4 Ensure that control measures are used and maintained Step 5 Monitor the exposure Step 6 Carry out appropriate health surveillance Step 7 Prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies Step 8 Ensure employees are properly informed, trained, and supervised

PUWER P rovision U se W ork E quipment R egulations