Employers responsibilities
Employers must provide a safe working environment for their employees. There are laws that cover the things the employer must do. The places where most accidents happen are building sites, however this section concentrates on places of work where ICT equipment is used - there are plenty of hazards even in an office.
The Health and Safety at Work Act
The main point from this legislation is that the employer must make sure that the workplace is safe. The act requires things such as:
Display screen regulations
These regulations have been passed because many people now spend much of their working lives in front of a computer screen. The display screen regulations are generally sensible guidelines for computer users and much of it links to workplace organisation.
Main points of the regulations
Consequences of Neglecting Employees' Health and Safety
In the worst case a fatal incident could happen. Most of the injuries and accidents at work are not fatal but cause a lot of misery for the worker and expense for the employer. In a office workplace the typical hazards are…
Employers must provide a safe working environment for their employees. There are laws that cover the things the employer must do. The places where most accidents happen are building sites, however this section concentrates on places of work where ICT equipment is used - there are plenty of hazards even in an office.
The Health and Safety at Work Act
The main point from this legislation is that the employer must make sure that the workplace is safe. The act requires things such as:
- safe entry and exit into and out of building
- enough toilets and facilities for getting drinks
- proper maintenance of equipment
- employee training about health and safety issues that relate to their job
- the display of information about health and safety matters
Display screen regulations
These regulations have been passed because many people now spend much of their working lives in front of a computer screen. The display screen regulations are generally sensible guidelines for computer users and much of it links to workplace organisation.
Main points of the regulations
- The computer screen should be a reasonable size and the brightness and contrast adjustable.
- keyboards should be separate from the screen and the user should be able to tilt it.
- There should not be any glare from the sun or lights onto the screen.
- Desks, chairs and footrests should all be correct for the office use.
- The user must be allowed to take breaks from the screen.
- Software which is used much be 'user friendly'.
Consequences of Neglecting Employees' Health and Safety
In the worst case a fatal incident could happen. Most of the injuries and accidents at work are not fatal but cause a lot of misery for the worker and expense for the employer. In a office workplace the typical hazards are…
If these things happen, the employer could be affected in several ways...
Employees' Responsibilities
They must take some responsibility for their how they work in the workplace. They must work in a way that will not affect those working around them. Everyone needs to work together to make the workplace safer. They must not take drugs or drink alcohol whilst working. Before these regulations employees could sue the employer for someone else working, however now it that who is smoking who will be in trouble. It wasn't long ago that people were actually smoking at their desks!
They must take some responsibility for their how they work in the workplace. They must work in a way that will not affect those working around them. Everyone needs to work together to make the workplace safer. They must not take drugs or drink alcohol whilst working. Before these regulations employees could sue the employer for someone else working, however now it that who is smoking who will be in trouble. It wasn't long ago that people were actually smoking at their desks!