Understanding Health and Safety in the Business Workplace_Waitrose PLC (GC01284)

Contents

Introduction.

P1 Explain the legal requirements and regulations for ensuring the health, safety, and security of those employed in the business.

P2Describe the requirements for a healthy and safe workplace, as applied to the physical environment and equipment used in Waitrose.

Physical Environment

P3Explain the roles and responsibilities for the health and safety of key personnel in Waitrose.

P4 Plan a risk assessment for a selected administrative work environment

Conclusion.

References.

Introduction

Every sphere of company, project, and investment obviously consists of some kinds of risk and these risks have to minimize and ensure safety in all cases. In order to ensure safety company needs to take care of their employees, create a favorable environment for jobs, provide health facility, and fulfill other types of requirements. To complete the assignment I took Waitrose PLC as my sample. This assignment focuses on four key tasks. The first task of this assignment explains the legal requirements and regulations for ensuring the health, safety, and security of those employed in the business.

The second task describes the requirements for a healthy and safe workplace, as applied to the physical environment and equipment used in Waitrose. The third task explains the roles and responsibilities for the health and safety of key personnel in Waitrose. Finally, the fourth task plans a risk assessment for Wetrose’s administrative work environment.

P1 Explain the legal requirements and regulations for ensuring the health, safety, and security of those employed in the business

I am serving as a health and safety assistant at Waitrose PLC. The operational manager of Waitrose has asked me to prepare a health and safety meeting where I will explain the different health and safety regulations that affect the business working environment and also the health of the employees (Nelson, 2016)). In the past, Waitrose has applied various types of regulations regarding the health and safety of the employees however, now staffs have more rights and responsibilities. Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the health and safety procedures are followed in the workplace.

Legalization is concerned about keeping employees in the workplace safe and protect the rights they have as employees within a business. The owner or higher level of manager should fix the legal procedures so that the employees can get a favorable environment to work with the organization (Lynch, 2017)). Nowadays employers and employees have to work in such a way as if it seems to me they are working together.

The owner’s duties to decorate the work environment like they have to maintain safe areas for employees to work in, arrange for appropriate people to carry out equipment such as tables, chairs, substances because teachers legally are not allowed to do this in case they hurt themselves, they have to provide information, training, and supervision relating to health and safety. On the other hand, employed have some duties like to take care of their own health and safety when working and others, who may be affected by their acts at work, cooperate with their employer to ensure legal requirements have been followed.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1974

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the governmental appointed body that is responsible for enforcing workplace health and safety legislation in the UK. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, sometimes referred to as HSW, HSWA, HASAW 1974 or HASAWA, is an Act of Parliament that sets out the framework for managing workplace health and safety in the UK. The act defines the general duties of everyone from employers (section 2) and employees (section 7, 8) to owners, managers, and maintainers of work premises (etc.) for maintaining health and safety within most workplaces.

There is, however, further specific legislation for business sectors that operate within a higher risk environment, such as the construction industry, chemical manufacturing, etc. The act itself is a primary piece of legislation set out by the government. Other regulations that complement the HASAWA 1974 are known as statutory instruments (essentially secondary pieces of legislation that may also be referred to as delegated legislation). Statutory instruments serve to make small changes, updates, or additions to existing legislation without having to create an entirely new Bill.

This lays down wide-ranging duties on employers. Employers must protect the ‘health, safety and welfare’ at work of all their employees, as well as others on their premises, including temps, casual workers, the self-employed, clients, visitors, and the general public(Health and safety authority, 2016).

According to Health and Safety Executive (2017), the aim of this law is to help reduce the harm of staff in the operational department, by assessing potential risks and creating action plans and steps to follow for potential emergencies that could occur in the business. It will protect staff in the operational department but also will protect people not working by people who are working. There are a lot of potential hazards that could occur inside the operational department because they use heavy and fragile equipment that is extremely expensive to obtain and to replace therefore this needs to be handled correctly. Waitrose follows this act by ensuring all staff in the operational department has the right training and knowledge of how to avoid and handle potential accidents.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

As a brief overview, the HASAWA 1974 requires that workplaces provide: Adequate training of staff to ensure health and safety procedures are understood and adhered to. A safe working environment that is properly maintained and where operations within it are conducted safely. For workplaces with five or more employees, employers must keep a written record of their health and safety policy, as well as consult with employees (or employee representatives) on relevant policies and associated health and safety arrangements.

The Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations 1992 

The Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (WHSWR) came into force on 1st January 1993 and gave effect in Great Britain to the requirement of EC Directive 89/654/EEC concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the workplace. The Regulations do not apply to construction worksites, but they do apply to facilities, design, and equipment in buildings used as workplaces and modifications and extensions of such buildings. Specific requirements for the health, safety and welfare of construction sites are included within the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM).

The regulations apply to all places of work unless other legislation takes precedent, such as the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM). The WHSWR is required to be taken into account by designers of workplaces under CDM. This regulation contains around 25 regulations that affect the workplace for employee’s health, safety, and welfare. In Waitrose, the employers obey the rules as much as they can.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995

Over 1.6 million accidents happen to people at work every year, this results in 200 people die every year due to this. This act ensures all staff report any incidents, diseases, and dangerous occurrences that happen within the operational department under the regulations of the act (Stranks, 2015). Waitrose keeps soap and hand sanitizers in the operational department to prevent germs or any diseases from being caught.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 apply to events (deaths or injuries resulting from accidents, instances of disease and dangerous occurrences) that arise out of work activities covered by the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act of 1974. They provide the information upon which the effectiveness of health and safety legislation and the health and safety performance of all sections of the industry are checked. Accidents arising from or in connection with work include accidents associated with: The way the undertaking is conducted. Any plant or substance used.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994

The middle level of personnel like the operational department makes the relationship between the higher level with the lower level manager and staff and labor as well.  This act is known as the COSHH act which was amended in 1999. Within the operational department, there are various ways employees can get harmed or exposes to harmful chemicals and substances of the materials which is why this act was put in place to ensure they are used, handled, and stored safely (Griffeth& Peter, 2014)………………………………………………………………………….

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