Everyone who has a contract of employment is covered by the
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Your manager must do everything they can to make sure that you are
working in a safe environment. This can mean:
- putting guards over dangerous machinery
- making sure any chemicals you work with are safe
- making sure you have regular breaks
- providing adequate canteen and toilet facilities
Every employer must have a policy which explains how they will
manage health and safety, and who is responsible for what.
You have responsibilities too - you must:
- not endanger people you work with
- follow the safety procedures laid down by your managers
- not do anything to deliberately put yourself at risk
Injuries at work
If you are injured while you are at work, you should report it
to your line manager and/or safety representative. They should then
record it in the accident
book.
Sometimes a serious injury can mean that an investigation has to
be carried out to find out what happened and why. This can
sometimes seem very confusing, but there are organisations that can
help you with this.
Thanks to the Trades Unions Congress for this information. For
the latest information look at their website, which is in our links
menu.