Health and safety requirements

An employer is responsible for ensuring compliance with the law and should ensure that they are aware of the legal requirements applicable to their business/operations.

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the basis of health and safety law within Great Britain. It sets out the general duties which employers have towards their employees and others, i.e. members of the public, and the duties employees have to themselves and others.

The duties should be exercised 'so far as is reasonably practicable', i.e. the degree of risk in a particular job or workplace needs to be balanced against the time, trouble, cost and physical difficulty of taking measures to avoid or reduce the risk.