Employers’ Duties
Employers have legal obligations to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for their employees in the first instance – and also for anyone else who may visit the workplace such as customers, contractors and members of the public.
All employers, whatever the size of the business.
Currently there are 21 regulations that add to the Act. Some regulations are general in its application whilst others tend to be more specific in their application.
These regulations are general in its application, as they apply to all industries:
• General Administration Regulations
• General Safety Regulations
• Facilities Regulations
All employers, whatever the size of the business, must:
• design, provide and maintain workplaces which are safe and without risk to health;
• identify any hazards, measures to control the risks, preferably by eliminating them or if that is not possible, by reducing them as far as possible;
• provide adequate first aid facilities;
• ensure that ventilation, temperature, lighting, toilet, washing and rest facilities meet the standard of health, safety and welfare sought by the statutory bodies;
• take necessary precautions against the risks caused by flammable, electrical equipment, noise, and dust;
• take reasonable steps to avoid dangerous work involving manual handling and provide manual handling training where required;
• report specific accidents, injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the appropriate authorities; and maintain records of accidents and injuries as appropriate
William van Greunen OHS Consultant – Compliance Hub