Health_and_Safety_Working_Life

Reference: www.//direct.gov.uk Health and Safety at Work My experiences of Health and Safety in the workplace and the legal obligations of both the Employer and the Employee. In my working life I have come across many situations where Health and Safety have played a vital role in the wellbeing of both myself, and others around me. In my last job I was employed as a ‘Keg Delivery Driver for Guinness’. My main duties involved the driving of a HGV lorry , dispatch of loads, loading and unloading of lorries, checking of final loads, logging of kegged beer both in and out of the depot, general upkeep of the lorries, warehousing and good housekeeping. My Employer’s Obligations: This job involved a lot of manual handling, and had the potential for causing serious injury or worse. The company had a legal requirement to provide training in both Manual Handling and Ergonomics, which involved ‘Hands On’ training, tutorials, watching real life footage and scenarios on DVD, and written assessments. They also supplied ‘PPE’ (Personal Protective Equipment), which included: * Steel Toe Capped Safety Boots, * Safety Gloves and Inner Liners , * High Visibility Vests, * Full Uniform, * Full Rainwear, * Lorry First Aid Kits and * Lorry Fire Extinguishers. As I said previously, this was the companies ‘Legal Requirement’ under the Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992. All Transport companies or Hauliers must provide their drivers with a first aid kit for their lorries, but All employers must make provision for ’First Aid’ in your workplace as they are responsible (by law) for making sure that you receive immediate attention if you become ill, or are injured at work no matter how trivial the injury may be. Accidents and illness can occur at any time and First Aid can save lives and can stop minor injuries becoming major ones. A First Aider is NOT allowed to administer: Lotions, Potions or Pills, but Anyone qualified or unqualified can use a Defibrillator or Epipen in an emergency, (Epipens are used for administering drugs quickly. They are used subcutaneously and are commonly used for Asthma, Diabetes and Anaphylaxis). A First Aider needs: * First Aid point of contact, * A suitably stocked First Aid box, * Adequate and current training plus an * Incident log book. Slips, Trips and Falls: The most common causes of accidents in the workplace according to the Health and Safety Executive are Slips, trips and falls, and they account for over a third of all major work related injuries. Employers report annual losses of more than £512m in production and other costs and they record over 50% of reported injuries to the general public. Some of the main causes are: * Uneven floors, * Unsuitable floor coverings, * Wet floors, * Poor lighting, * Loose cables and * Horseplay. My Obligations as an Employee: As an Employee of any company you have a legal obligation to work in a safe and secure manner, so as not to injure yourself or anyone around you through: * Negligence, * Horseplay, * Fighting, * Not Adhering to Company Policies or * Misuse of anything provided for your Health, Safety or Welfare. It is also very important that you report ANY injuries, strains or illnesses you suffer as a result of doing your job. If you have any concerns about Health and Safety, discuss it with your employer, immediate boss or safety representative. Keep your own records and always get someone to verify them and record this initial meeting as ‘FPOC’ (first point of contact). If you are dissatisfied with the outcome then contact the HSE or your local authority. It is against the law for an employer to discipline you or take action against you at your job because of any action raised. In conclusion there are other more fundamental things to take into account when looking at your responsibilities. For example: having a little care and consideration for others that work with you, or that come into contact with you in your day to day life and having some common sense when it comes to Health and Safety.