Understanding your responsibilities

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Understanding your responsibilities
Understanding your responsibilities
Understanding your responsibilities
Understanding your responsibilities

What does the law require

you to do?
Understanding your responsibilities

As a manager, you know you have health

and safety responsibilities, but what is there
to guide you?
Understanding your responsibilities

The law sets the boundaries within which

companies must operate
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The law attempts to be fair by

requiring you to be responsible for
reasonably foreseeable risks
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According to the law, employers are not

responsible for issues they can successfully
argue as ‘not reasonably foreseeable’
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There are three simple tests to determine

whether a risk is reasonably foreseeable:
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There are three simple tests to determine

whether a risk is reasonably foreseeable:
• common knowledge
Understanding your responsibilities

There are three simple tests to determine

whether a risk is reasonably foreseeable:
• common knowledge
• industry knowledge
Understanding your responsibilities

There are three simple tests to determine

whether a risk is reasonably foreseeable:
• common knowledge
• industry knowledge
• expert knowledge
Understanding your responsibilities

As a manager, you’re required to assess

reasonably foreseeable risks, and reduce
risks so far as is reasonably practicable
Understanding your responsibilities

As a manager, you’re required to assess

reasonably foreseeable risks, and reduce
risks so far as is reasonably practicable
Understanding your responsibilities

As a manager, you’re required to assess

reasonably foreseeable risks, and reduce
risks so far as is reasonably practicable
Understanding your responsibilities

How does the law work?

Understanding your responsibilities
Understanding your responsibilities
Understanding your responsibilities
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Criminal Law
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Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

(HASWA)
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The Management of Health and Safety at

Work Regulations 1999
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The Workplace (Health, Safety and

Welfare) Regulations 1992
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The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and

Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995
(RIDDOR)
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These statutes are put in place by

parliament in an attempt to stop accidents
and injury before they happen
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In criminal law, the State must prove its case

‘beyond reasonable doubt’
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Likely outcomes of a criminal case:

Possible Imprisonment
fines and/or remedial orders
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Civil Law
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People injured by the negligence of others

or a breach of statutory duty can seek
compensation for harm
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To be successful, the claimant must show that:

• the defendant owed the
claimant a duty of care
• the duty of care was
breached
• the injury was caused by
the breach of the duty of
care
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If the employee played a part in the injury, the

claim may be reduced due
to contributory negligence
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However, if other employees caused the injury,

the employer may still be
ultimately responsible due
to vicarious liability
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In civil law, the claimant must prove its case

‘on the balance of probabilities’
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A decision made by a judge is a precedent,

which means that the verdict of this case will
apply to similar future cases
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1. Who does the court case focus on?

The accused
The injured party
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1. Who does the court case focus on?

The accused The injured

party
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2. What is the main source of this type of

law? Common law precedence
Statute law
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2. What is the main source of this type of

law?

Statute law Common law

precedence
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3. Who makes this kind of law?

Judges
Parliament
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3. Who makes this kind of law?

Parliament
Judges
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4. Who initiates legal proceedings?

HSE or Local Authority
Anyone affected
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4. Who initiates legal proceedings?

HSE or
Local Authority Anyone
affected
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5. What is the most likely outcome for this

case? Compensation payouts
Imprisonment, fines and/or
remedial orders
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5. What is the most likely outcome for this

case?

Imprisonment,
fines and/or Compensation
remedial orders payouts
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6. Who is responsible for proving the case

(burden of proof)? The State
The claimant
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6. Who is responsible for proving the case

(burden of proof)?

The State
(subject to health and
safety law) The claimant
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7. What is the standard of proof required?

On the balance of probabilities
Beyond reasonable doubt
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7. What is the standard of proof required?

Beyond
On the
reasonable
balance of
doubt
probabilities
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8. Normally, how soon must legal action

start? Three years
Six months
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8. Normally, how soon must legal action

start?

Six months for Three years from

summary offences discovery of harm
(but can be extended)
(but courts have
discretion to extend)
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9. What are the main parts of the law that

apply? HASWA 1974…
Duty of care…
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9. What are the main parts of the law that

apply to health and safety?

Health and Safety at

Duty of care,
Work etc Act
negligence,
1974 and associated
and breach of
regulations
statutory duty
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Help with interpreting and applying the law

can be found in the form of:
• approved codes of practice
• guidance documents
• industry specific
guidance
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Now that you’ve seen what could happen

after a serious accident, what kind of system
do you need to put in place to prevent one?
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What are the key parts of a health and

safety management system?
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Most health and safety management

systems are based around the principle:

Policy
Planning and organising

Implementing and operating

Measuring performance

Review and continual

improvement
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The key benefits of introducing a health and

safety management system are to:
• comply with legislative requirements
• help deliver the policy
• improve management of risks
• provide competitive edge
• provide synergy with good
business management
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A policy is your commitment to comply with

the law and meet your responsibilities
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The next step involves planning for hazards,

risks, emergencies and responses
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Then, organise responsibilities, and ensure

each worker is capable of fulfilling them
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Then, organise responsibilities, and ensure

each worker is capable of fulfilling them
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Implement your policy, planning and

organisation by putting it into operation
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The only way you can find out if your plans

are working is to measure performance
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For accurate records, performance should

be measured both short and long term
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If you find that adjustments are necessary,

you may need to review and improve it
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When it comes to responsibility, you need to:

• appreciate the key procedures so you
understand when to act, and when not to
• reduce reasonably foreseeable risks so
far as is reasonably practicable
• adapt your HSMS to the specific needs of
your organisation to support sustainability
• get everyone involved!
Understanding your responsibilities

Key learning points:

• What does the law require you to do?

• How does the law work?
• What are the key parts
of a health and safety
management system?
Understanding your responsibilities

Key learning points:

• What does the law require you to do?

• How does the law work?
• What are the key parts
of a health and safety
management system?
Understanding your responsibilities

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