Recap on your subject knowledge about Health and Safety from GCSE
Risk Assessments
These are assessments done for each activity or process, for example cutting wood using a scroll saw, the risk level is decided by looking at the Risk Matrix, this is the colourful table on the GCSE Health and Safety page. It is based on the likelihood of an accident vs the severity if one could occur, this includes anything from minor injuries in need of first aid (e.g. cuts or abrasions), to an accident that could last up to 3 days (e.g. a cut that needs stitches), to severe (e.g. loss of limb or fatality).
Hazard
Inhalation of dust |
Risk Level
Low |
Control Measure
Ensure extraction is used at all times, |
In this example dust is a classed as a low risk. Saw dust is dangerous and can cause long term health effects, so exposure to it in high amounts could be classed as moderate - severe, however as the extraction system draws the dust away at the source so there would be very little likelihood of an incident occurring as long as the extraction is used, therefore the risk is lowered.
All employers must carry these out for each activity or process that is done on their sites.
All employers must carry these out for each activity or process that is done on their sites.
Safety Legislation in Manufacture
To protect employees there are several pieces of legislation;
These ensure businesses make the workplace safe for employees, ensure machinery is up to standard, dangerous items/substances are stored and labelled correctly and that training is regularly updated.
All manufacturing companies have to provide their employees with the following;
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- Personal Protective Clothing Regulations 2002
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)
These ensure businesses make the workplace safe for employees, ensure machinery is up to standard, dangerous items/substances are stored and labelled correctly and that training is regularly updated.
All manufacturing companies have to provide their employees with the following;
- Risk Assessments - as mentioned earlier all activity must be assessed for risk before any employee takes part
- Extraction - the business must supply adequate extraction for fumes or dust as these could be hazardous to health
- PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) - employees would be given goggles, steel toe cap boots, overalls etc depending on the task they were undertaking
- Guarded machinery - all machines will have correct guards to protect the user from injury
- COSHH regulations adhered to - all company's handle and store hazardous substances correctly, these are all clearly labelled
- Training - employees undertake training on the machines they operate, these are tested against the HSE (Health and Safety Executive - a government advisory service that helps companies to meet Health and Safety obligations), they will often have to retake training at timely intervals
Safety Legislation for Users
Consumer protection laws are enforced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and currently the European Union.
You may have heard of the Trading Standards Agency - they have the power to prosecute (this can be in the form of a £5000 fine or even up to six months in prison) and also to remove products from the market - click here to see the current Trading Standards product recall list.
One particular legislation worth knowing is the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. In summary this requires:
Currently while the UK is part of the European Union there are a number of directives that must be followed e.g.;
You may have heard of the Trading Standards Agency - they have the power to prosecute (this can be in the form of a £5000 fine or even up to six months in prison) and also to remove products from the market - click here to see the current Trading Standards product recall list.
One particular legislation worth knowing is the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. In summary this requires:
- Any mains voltage items to be insulated - from both electrical shock and fire
- That the plugs used with 240 volts conform to the 1994 Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations
Currently while the UK is part of the European Union there are a number of directives that must be followed e.g.;
- Noise levels of products (e.g. how loud kitchen appliances might be)
- Toy safety (e.g. loose or small parts)
- Machinery