Safety briefing - employers’ duties

This briefing provides information on the legal duties of employers whilst at work.

What’s covered?

The aim of this Safety Briefing - Employers’ Duties is to ensure that employers and their managers are fully aware of their legal responsibilities and what steps they should take to comply with them.

What the employee must do

As the briefing identifies, the main piece of legislation that refers to employers’ duties is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This Act places a statutory duty on all employers, including their managers, to provide and maintain equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risk to the health of employees or others who may be affected by their business activities.

What it means

The briefing identifies the key requirements of the law, including providing employees with information on health and safety, undertaking risk assessments and providing personal protective equipment.

Key points

Attendees must take note of the following key points:

• “Ensure that you (and your managers) fully understand your health and safety responsibilities both to your employees and to visitors or members of the public if they are affected by the work you carry out.
• Keep all records of your arrangements for health and safety and make sure that they are up to date.
• Plant and equipment needs to be kept in good condition.
• Your workplace should be well maintained so that it is safe to work in.”