Construction Health & Safety Policy at Work Act 1974 Essay - 1

Construction Health & Safety Policy at Work Act 1974 - Essay Example The Act defines the general duties which employers have towards employees, members of the public, employees have to themselves and to each other. In general terms it can be defined as â€Å"It is the responsibility of employer to ensure the health and safety of employees along with welfare at all stages of employment†. The Act with 28 main sections came into force in 1975 with the purpose to bring all the workers of all occupations under the cover of legislation. The revision of the law and new regulations paved way for more comprehensive understanding and implementation of legislation with the passage of time. Mainly most of the legislation in this regard is done through the regulations instead of through parliament. European Six pack The commonly known six pack regulations on health and safety is group of regulations which were introduced in Europe on January 1993.The inspiration to develop such legislation was to harmonize the health and safety law throughout the Europe und er the frame work directive. These regulations put into practice various European directions on health and safety issues and also elucidate how employers must fulfill with their duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974. ... The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 6. The Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations Approved Codes of Practice (AcoPs) The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and the Workplace Health and Safety and Welfare Regulations mentioned above have Approved Codes of Practice (AcoPs). These have been approved by the Health and Safety Commission and give useful recommendations on what should be done to fulfill the requirement of the law. While employers and others do not have to follow AcoPs needs to prove that their alternative arrangements ensure same or better standards of health and safety. The salient aspects of each regulation are briefly discussed in subse quent paragraphs. 1. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations These regulations contains duties of employers, self employed workers and employees. The rights of trade unions safety representatives are also elucidated in these regulations. The employer duties encompasses on assessment of risk for the safety of workers, arrangements for implementation of health and safety measures, facilitate in compliance of safety measures by effective means, ensure emergency procedures, adequate training/instructions of employees and sharing of work place. The employees’ duties elaborate the use of equipment and substance in accordance with training, reporting of matters and shortcoming in health and safety issues. The trade union safety representative duties mainly focus on consulting the employer on measures for safety and health of workers.