Workplace Health, Safety & Welfare

Overview Of Management & Colleague Responsibilities

Manager Responsibilities

Below is an overview of the responsibilities which is intended to support managers in identifying their key duties that need to be taken to comply with the requirements of this document and the safety management systems of the National Ice Centre.

  • Managers must ensure that the workplace that their colleagues are in, is both safe and fit for purpose.
  • Managers need to understand the definition of a workplace in line with the legislative requirements.
  • Managers must ensure that risk assessments are completed where the workplace presents foreseeable risks to the health, safety or welfare of colleagues or others.
  • Managers must be able to demonstrate that they have considered the environmental conditions that may impact on the health, safety and welfare of colleagues or others.
  • Managers must ensure that colleagues have access to appropriate welfare facilities whilst at work.

Employee Responsibilities

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 section 7 requires all employees to consider their own health & safety and the safety of others. 

As an employee of the National Ice Centre, if you have concerns in relation to health & safety that is likely to cause you or someone else, injury or ill health then you must ensure that the concern is communicated to your manager immediately.

You are also required to co-operate with the management of the National Ice Centre to ensure compliance with the health & safety arrangements, policies and procedures and work to the requirements identified within this document.

Introduction

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 2

Subject:          Workplace Health & Safety

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements.

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities.

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

Legal Requirements

The health & safety requirements of the workplace are detailed within the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.  

This legislation requires the risks to a person’s health from their workplace to be considered and adequately controlled.  

The requirements of this legislation is supported by other statutory documents which is in place to manage specified risks that may be present

In general terms, the National Ice Centre requires managers to ensure that the working environment is:

  • suitable for use, and for the purpose and conditions in which it is used;
  • maintained in a safe condition for use so that people’s health and safety is not at risk; and
  • inspected to ensure that it is, and continues to be, safe for use.
Premises Covered By The Regulations

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 identify that a workplace will include all working environments where a person is working.

These regulations apply to a very wide range of workplaces, not only factories, shops and offices but, for example, schools, hospitals, hotels and places of entertainment.

The term workplace also includes the common parts of shared buildings, private roads and paths on industrial estates and business parks, and temporary work sites (except workplaces involving construction work on construction sites.

These regulations do not apply to domestic premises, and do not therefore cover home workers directly. 

They do, however, apply to hotels, nursing homes etc, and to parts of workplaces where ‘domestic’ staff are employed, such as the kitchens of hostels or sheltered accommodation.

The National Ice Centre does not however differentiate its responsibilities to colleagues who work within a domestic residence and where those standards are such that this will present a risk to the health, safety or welfare of a colleague, the issues identified must be discussed with managers.

Temporary Work Sites

Where a workplace is identified as being temporary (work sites used for infrequent or short periods or fairs and other structures which occupy a site for a short period), the requirements for sanitary conveniences, washing facilities, drinking water, clothing accommodation, changing facilities and facilities for rest and eating facilities will apply where identified as being reasonably practicable to have in place.

Maintenance Of The Workplace And Any Associated Equipment, Devices & Systems

Regulation 5 of the legislation requires the workplace and any associated equipment to be maintained and in an efficient state, in good working order and repair.

This requirement extends to ensuring that required maintenance is provided within the working environment.

Further clarification on the actions by managers to comply with this requirement is detailed within the Safety Manual – SPA – Managment Of Buildings And Equipment

Shared Premises

People other than employers also have duties under these Regulations if they have control, to any extent, of a workplace.

For example, owners, landlords or managing agents of business premises should ensure that common parts, common facilities, common services and means of access within their control comply with the Regulations

Risk Assessment

A key part to the Workplace Regulations is the consideration towards risk assessment which is in place to assist in the managing of health and safety and considers the control the risks in your workplace.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess risks and managers must make sure they understand what the main risks are within the workplace and the things you need to do to manage them responsibly.

The risk assessment may show that the workplace or the work should be reorganised so that the need for people to work at an unguarded edge, for example, does not arise in the first place.

Few workplaces stay the same so consideration towards reviewing what you are doing on an ongoing basis should be given.