UNISON Health & Safety Guidelines. Responsibility for health and safety in the workplace

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1 Responsibility for health and safety in the workplace Your employer has two main responsibilities when it comes to preventing accidents in the work place: they should take measures to protect anyone in the workplace from harm (including visitors and customers); They should inform the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (or in certain situations, the local authority) in the case of specific incidents including accidents that prevent workers from returning to work for three days or more. It is an employer s duty to conduct risk assessments, offer appropriate health and safety training, conduct emergency planning and provide adequate first aid. You. All workers are also responsibility for health and safety at work and must make sure they work safely and do not put themselves or others at risk. Accidents: If you have an accident If you have an accident at work, you must make sure you: record it in the accident book; check that your employer has reported it to the HSE or local authority (if appropriate); report any associated risks or ongoing problems to your employer; Tell your safety representative or steward. Read more about hazard reporting and risk assessment. If the risk or hazard that caused your accident is not addressed, then contact your UNISON safety rep who can advise you on the next course of action. Click here to contact your UNISON safety rep. Reporting accidents The HSE requires every employer to report certain types of incidents, including: death; fractures other than to the fingers, thumb or toes; dangerous situations such as a building collapse or some gas leaks; any injury that prevents an employee working for seven or more days; Certain diseases. If you have an accident that requires reporting and your employer hasn t informed the HSE or local authority, if appropriate, they may be putting lives at risk and they are breaking the law.

2 Sick pay If you become ill at work, you have the right to sick pay. This could be either occupational sick pay or statutory sick pay. Details of your occupational sick pay (if any) are listed in your employment contract. If you do not have company (i.e. occupational) sick pay, your employer must pay you statutory sick pay, generally from the fourth full day of absence from work. This applies if you: earn 107 per week or more on average; Are on sick leave for more than three consecutive days this includes weekends and days you would not usually work. Claiming for an injury at work If you think your employer is to blame for an injury sustained at work, contact your UNISON rep, who can take you through the next steps. If you make a claim, you are likely to require legal assistance. UNISON can support you with this and can supply legal services. Remember to act quickly, as claims must be made within three years of the accident. Your employer must have liability insurance for this kind of claim, and must display a copy of the certificate of insurance at the workplace or make it available in electronic form or, in certain circumstances, provide a copy upon request. Manual Handling What is manual handling? Manual handling involves lifting, carrying, lowering or otherwise carrying or moving a load by hand or bodily force. It is the most common cause of accidental injury in the workplace and the potential risks of manual handling affect nearly all members. Accidents involving manual handling can have a long-lasting impact on personal and professional lives. Manual handling is not just an issue for those members who are required to lift and carry on a regular basis, as almost every job will require you to move items at some point. Potential risks One in three accidents at work is caused by manual handling. Many manual handling incidents cause damage to the back. Every year, 300,000 people in the UK suffer from back pain due to manual handling accidents. Damage to the back, neck or spine can lead to extreme pain, temporary incapacity or permanent injury.

3 If you have any issues regarding back pain at work, contact your UNISON safety rep. Employers' responsibilities Employers are required to fulfil a number of criteria to reduce the risk of manual handling accidents at work. By law employers are required, among other things, to reduce risk of injury from manual handling operations to "the lowest level reasonably practicable". Employers must also: so far as reasonably practicable, avoid the need for employees to undertake manual handling which involves a risk of their being injured; carry out a manual handling risk assessment prior to any manual handling tasks; provide training and information including specific information about the weight of the load and its heaviest side if its centre of gravity is not positioned centrally the equipment and techniques to be used when carrying out a manual handling tasks; assess the layout, structure or nature of the work and the individual capability of staff to reduce manual handling risks; retain accurate reports on any previous notifiable manual handling incidents and accidents; give equal consideration to those working away from the employer s premises. Members' responsibilities While employers are obliged to provide adequate facilities, equipment and training for members to safely fulfil their work-related tasks, members have a responsibility to use the information and resources given to them. You are required by Manual Handling Operations Regulations to make use of equipment and resources provided by the employer, in accordance with the training given. This also applies to work done away from the employer s premises. Risk assessment: What is a risk assessment? Risk assessments are part of the risk management process and are included in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. A risk assessment is the process of identifying what hazards currently exist or may appear in the workplace. A risk assessment defines which workplace hazards are likely to cause harm to employees and visitors. What does a risk assessment include? Risks need to be considered in all aspects of the working environment. Here are some examples of the things that should be included in a risk assessment to prevent or minimise risk:

4 Hazards: electrical safety, fire safety, manual handling, hazardous substances, risk factors for repetitive strain injury, stress, violence; Tasks: cleaning with chemical substances, maintenance work or dealing with the public; Organisational factors: staffing policies, systems of work, equipment-purchasing policies, consultation and participation, management techniques or working hours; If you have a concern about health and safety, or if you are worried that your employer is not taking measures to prevent or minimise risk, contact your safety rep as soon as possible. Which companies need to conduct a risk assessment? By law, every employer must conduct risk assessments on the work their employees do. If the company or organisation employs more than five employees, then the results must be recorded with details of any groups of employees particularly at risk. How an employer carries out a basic risk assessment Risk assessments should be simple to conduct, following a process that includes: looking for and listing the risks to health and safety; deciding who might be harmed and how; checking that protective measures are effective; evaluating the risks arising from the hazards and deciding whether existing precautions are adequate; recording the findings; reviewing the assessment from time to time and revising it when required, particularly if the building is refurbished, moved, or when there is a change in staffing. Back pain: An introduction to back pain Most people suffer from back pain at some time in their life. Back pain is one of the biggest causes of work absences, accounting for more than 12 million days lost every year. Most back pain is caused by sprains, strains, being out of condition and posture problems rather than spinal damage or other health conditions. Non-specific back pain can be split into two types: acute pain that lasts for less than six weeks; chronic pain that lasts for longer than six weeks.

5 Back injuries at work There are many work-related causes of back injuries. Many UNISON members have jobs that involve a high risk of back pain, particularly in the areas of health and social care, pottering and caretaking. Activities with a high injury risk include: bending and twisting; heavy and/or repeated lifting; working for too long without breaks; using poor technique or too much force; uncomfortable working positions; adverse working conditions (hot, damp, cold or wet). Your employer s responsibilities Your employer is responsible for preventing or minimising the risk of you suffering back injuries, particularly as a result of manually lifting or moving objects at work. There are strict laws covering employers responsibilities and each employer should have a written policy as part of their safety policy. Your employer is responsible for minimising the need for lifting or moving as part of your job, providing equipment if necessary, as well as training in manual handling techniques. Where manual handling can t be avoided, employers must do what they can to reduce the risk of injury "to the lowest level reasonably practicable". Your employer s responsibilities extend to wherever you work, even if you work off-site or in a variety of locations. Risk assessment and training Your employer must also carry out suitable and sufficient health and safety risk assessments to make sure the measures they re taking are adequate and meet legal requirements. Your employer must regularly review risk assessments and safety procedures. Your employer must also train you to correctly use equipment and organise regular refresher sessions. Training should include: the dangers of back and spine injury; spotting and avoiding dangers; good handling and moving techniques; using handling and lifting equipment; capabilities and limitations; recording incidents or injuries.