Health and safety are procedures that put in place to prevent injury or accident at work places and public environments. The health and safety influences food retailers to ensure they provide good working environment for everyone whilst preventing accident and injuries at their premises.In the report, I will be describing how health, safety and hygiene legislation impacts on food retailers. Food retailers are responsible for health and safety management and are accountable for any issues regarding health, safety and hygiene around their area. Therefore it is the duty of retailers to protect health, safety and welfare of their employees under the law. There are few laws and regulations that ensure health, safety and hygiene in places are being taken into action. Some of these include the following: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974(HASAWA)The HAWASA was introduced to ensure employers manage health and safety at work to reduce injuries and accident.
It is the duty of employers and employees to ensure health and safety procedures are being followed accordance to the law. There are some pieces of the health and safety regulation that food retailers and most work places will need to comply with and this include: • Safe working environment which is properly maintained to protect the people at work• Providing enough welfare for staff at work• Providing enough training for staff to ensure they understand health and safety requirements and are being followed• Providing important information, instructions and supervisions regarding health and safety. The law states that, work places with more five or more employees must keep and record of their health and safety policy and inform employees relevant policies associated with health and safety. Therefore big retailers like Tesco, Asda and Morrison’s with thousands of employees must ensure Health and safety procedures are adhere to and followed.
They have a lot duty regarding to this law and must their premises are safe and all employees are protected from any injuries or accidents. They must also ensure food and products that are being are causing any harm to either employees or customers and this include explosive and flammable products.Health and safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.
Adequate and appropriate equipment will depend on the size and how the business operates. This include whether trained first –aiders are needed, and if first aid room is required. This act also applies to self-employed people and they need to ensure equipment are enough to provide yourself first aid. Therefore, big supermarkets like Tesco with many employees and customers will need to ensure enough equipment are in place to provide first aid in case of accident or any injury. Reporting of injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).The RIDDOR which is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 put duties on employers including people who are self-employed and people who are in control of a premises, to report specified workplace accident, diseases and dangerous occurrences. This law requires all incidents to be reported no matter how big or small it is and a record must be kept.
Examples of RIDDOR information that needs to be recorded include the date of reporting, the date, time and location of the incident, personal details of people involved and lastly description of the injury, illness or occurrence. Apart of these, the following is also important: • Any company with more than 10 employees must have an accident book• Owners and/or occupiers of quarries, mines and factories must have an accident book• RIDDOR records must be kept for a minimum of 3 years after the date of the last incident in the book• It is advised that RIDDOR records are kept for 5-6 years in order to allow time for any civil litigation to be made• Incidents must be reported within a 10-day timeframe after the occurrenceThis allows enforcement authorities to identify and investigate accidents to minimize it happening again. This impacts on because they have a legal duty to report incidents or diseases that occurs at their premises.
This allows Tesco to evaluate all incidents and also ensures requirements regarding to this law is being adhered to including keeping records of all these incidents. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002Control of substances Hazardous to Health 2002 is a regulation that was introduced to protect people in the workplace from hazardous substances that would impose risk to their health. These substances could include chemicals being used for work or cleaning and employers have a duty to provide health risk assessment within the working place and measures to protect the people. Employers can prevent or reduce hazardous substance to worker’s health by providing instructions, information and good training to workers when handling these kind of substances. Health and safety Commission”The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is a statutory body established under UK law. It was established under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974. The HSC is focused on preventing injury and death in the workplace.
They also police the workplace to ensure that individuals are not putting other workers at risk. Enforcement by the HSC ensures that duty holders deal with serious risks immediately, comply with the law and are held accountable if they fail in their responsibilities.” They have many impacts on food retailers because they ensure food retailers are adhering to health and safety law therefore food retailers must ensure they are not putting others at risk. Health and safety ExecutiveThe organisation acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces. It is not the sole regulator, as in many cases local authorities are responsible for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. Therefore supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda must ensure health and safety regulations are adhered to in order to fall victim of the law.
