The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK are responsible for monitoring and receiving reports of work-related violence. The HSE have defined work-related violence and aggression as: any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. In recent years, there has been an increase in work-related violence and aggression, perhaps in response to stress levels which have arisen in workplace environments. It is now an employer’s responsibility to ensure every measure possible is taken to placate work-related tensions between employees, work associates and customers.

Which pieces of UK legislation focus on management of work-related violence and aggression?

The UK has a serious commitment to health and safety in the workplace, and this includes work-related violence and aggression. The following pieces of UK legislation have provisions stated which refer to employers taking into consideration the risks which their employees might face, and this includes foreseeable violence.

– The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

– The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

– The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013

What constitutes as work-related violence and aggression?

Violence and aggression can be characterised by the following:

– Threats

– Antisocial behaviour

– Intention to injure or harm another individual, perhaps through spitting, punching, pushing etc.

– Verbal and emotional abuse, perhaps through bullying, intimidation, stalking, verbal abuse etc.

– A lack of respect

– Physical or sexual assault

Within any workplace, the above forms of violence and aggression can take place. However, workplaces involved in care, retail, education and health services experience an increased number of instances of work-related violence and aggression.

In February 2018 it was reported that half a million individuals in the UK have suffered from work-related violence, aggression and stress. Therefore, there has been a recent attempt to identify the causes and subsequently the prevention techniques which can be administered in the workplace. Psychologist Rachel Andrew has suggested that a state of vital exhaustion may be the reasoning behind increased incidents of work-related violence and aggression in the last 15 years. This state of burnout resides in individual’s mental health and this can be released in incidents of anger.

Symptoms of vital exhaustion can be:

– Exhaustion as a whole, little energy to do anything that is either work-related or for pleasure.

– A lack of concentration, and your mind seeming to zone out regularly.

– Irritation and frustration occurring more and more.

– There is a sense of detachment from many different things, whether it is work or your loved ones and friends.

To deal with aggression and violence in the workplace, it is vital for an employer to understand which these outbursts have occurred. For example, an employee which has lashed out at another employee, could be suffering with vital exhaustion and therefore this is the reasoning behind the outburst. Therefore, it is an employer’s responsibility to monitor the behaviour and attitudes of employees to distinguish between those that are mentally-well and those who are not. This will eventually help an employer to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place.

As an employer it is always sensible to conduct training and awareness of the behaviour and attitude of all employees, to create a culture within the workplace which cares for one another in attempt to prevent work-related violence and aggression.

Personal protective equipment is developed to ultimately reduce risk in the workplace. The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have made it very clear that UK employers have a strong duty regarding the provision, use of and enforcement of personal protective equipment in the workplace. Personal protective equipment is essentially the equipment which can be used to protect an individual against health and safety risks.

What can be regarded as personal protective equipment?

Personal protective equipment will relate to any piece of equipment which an individual can use to protect themselves from an identified risk or hazard within the workplace. Therefore, there are certain workplaces which will require more protective equipment than others; for example, a building site will require more protective equipment for employees than an office would.

Safety Helmets – To protect an employee’s head from falling bricks and material or from falling from height.

Eye Goggles – To protect an employee’s eyes from dust, building material, flying particles or from fumes.

Safety Gloves – To protect an employee’s hands from harmful substances which they might deal with – for example chemical substances or corrosive materials.

High Visibility Clothing, such as jackets – To protect an employee from oncoming vehicles or to simply show to other people that the employee is there and is making themselves apparent to other surrounding individuals.

What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

How can an employer provide personal protective equipment?

As an employer, it will be your responsibility to select and provide the appropriate personal protective equipment for employees and work associates. You need to be aware of how to conduct this process. When it comes to personal protective equipment, employers are subject to the UK Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002, so make sure the equipment that you choose is CE marked in accordance with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002. Involve the employees in the decision process, so they can include their height, weight and measurements. This will also encourage them to use the equipment more if it is comfortable and they have been involved in the decision-making process.

What are an employee’s rights in the workplace?

As an employee you have the right to work in a workplace that has conditions which do not contain risks to the employees. You are also entitled to receive information and training about the risks and hazards which exist within the workplace, and to be involved within the health and safety process. It is also an employee’s right to file complaints against the employer if health and safety standards are not being upheld.

As an employer to avoid the fines and prosecution which will be administered by the UK Health and Safety Executive, it is important to provide personal protective equipment if necessary. Training and knowledge of this process is available to ensure employers fully fulfil their health and safety duties.

Risk can be defined as the likelihood or probability that an individual will be harmed or affected by an adverse health effect if they are exposed to a hazard. Risk assessments must be conducted by employers to ensure that risks and hazards are identified and then subsequently minimised, to protect the safety of all individuals involved within workplace. The UK government has a strong commitment to health and safety standards in the workplace and thus employers are bound to certain duties, such as minimising risks in the workplace.

What is a risk assessment?

A risk assessment is legal requirement in the UK for organisation’s and businesses, this legal requirement is established within:

– The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

– The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Risk assessments are necessary because they allow an employer to identify all possible hazards within the workplace, whether it is in the form of a physical hazard, a substance or a chemical. Subsequently, it will allow the employer to identify the necessary control measures which can protect individuals from these hazards, in effect reducing the risk associated in the workplace. An employer must delegate a health and safety team which is thoroughly trained and well educated in the health and safety duties expected of organisations in the UK. A risk assessment can be divided into three vital aspects:

1) Identification of hazards within the workplace.

2) Evaluate the risk which is associated with the above hazards, as well as which individuals will be involved with the hazards. You can categorise the risk; for example, a certain hazard will have a far higher level of risk associated with it than some other hazards will.

3) Decide which control measures you will use, whilst taking into consideration the feasibility of using these particular control measures. For example, are there certain control measures that could be used which are cheaper whilst still effective?

4) Continually update your risk assessments and control measures, ensuring that it is well communicated around the whole workplace.

Dong Xing Group Ltd, a scaffolding company in Auckland, was fined $180,000 in October 2018 due to their lack of risk assessment and health and safety standards. Dong Xing Group Ltd had not provided their workers with a safe workplace, and it was found that there were multiple risks apparent in the workplace. The risks which were evident include falling from height, scaffold collapsing and electrical shocks. These risks breached the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, which explicitly states that hazards and risks in the workplace must be dealt with properly.

Evidently, if found guilty of not appropriately identifying or protecting workers from risks in the workplace, an employer can face a substantial fine. Therefore, training and knowledge of risks and hazards in the workplace is of the utmost importance to an employer as well as to employees.

When it comes to defining a hazard, particularly when it is involved in the workplace, it is most commonly considered as any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or someone. It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure that the workplace is free from hazards to protect the safety of all work associates, staff and customers. The UK has implemented specific legislation to ensure employers abide by their health and safety duties; this includes: The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Where can hazards occur in the workplace?

To define hazards in the workplace, a risk assessment can be conducted by the designated health and safety team used to examine the workplace. To identify a hazard, you can use the following identification method: a substance, practice or material that could inflict harm or adverse health effects upon an individual. For example, a hazardous process could be welding. If an individual in your workplace carries out welding improperly they could contract metal fume fever. If as an employer you have not ensured that the individual that is welding is protected with appropriate protective equipment, then you will be held responsible for the adverse health effects contracted by the individual in the aftermath.

Moreover, if an individual in your workplace is in contact or handling the substance benzene, there is the potential to fall ill with leukemia. Thus, as an employer you need to ensure that all hazards are identified and the appropriate control measures to protect against these hazards are in place to protect all individuals involved.

Hazards are now not simply regarded as physical objects, substances or processes. Since May 2018 the debate and light shed upon hazards in mental health has increased. It has been considered that workplace stress should also be regarded as a safety hazard in the workplace. A report was conducted by the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) which published results which showed that a third of people in the UK were experiencing suicidal thoughts following a stress epidemic. This is following individuals feeling unable to cope with the stress that the workplace has inflicted upon them, leading to self-harm and suicidal feeling.

Following the MHF report, there have been calls for psychological hazards to receive the same treatment as physical hazards in the workplace. This has included calls for appropriate control measures of each hazard to be implemented. Moreover, a minimum of two mental health days have been suggested especially for staff within the public sector such as teachers, nurses and police officers.

Hazards, whether they are physical or psychological, have the ability to injure or stimulate adverse health effects to an individual in the workplace. Repercussions for failing to protect individuals in the workplace are not administered lightly. The health and safety watchdogs in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be responsible for administering repercussions against an employer. The individual responsible for failing to administer health and safety matters could face prosecution by the HSE, a hefty fine or imprisonment.

As an employer, to avoid the repercussions administered by the HSE and to keep your organisation’s reputation intact, it is always wise to ensure you are fulfilling your health and safety duties to the best degree. Therefore, training and knowledge of all UK related health and safety legislation is important in the workplace.

According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the body responsible for enforcing health and safety management across businesses and organisations, it is the responsibility of an employer to protect the personal safety of employees. There is specific health and safety legislation in the UK which states the responsibilities of employers concerning personal safety in the UK explicitly, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It is important that employers have the correct training and knowledge of these pieces of legislations to exercise duties properly.

What specific legislative responsibilities does UK legislation place upon employers regarding personal safety?

As a general rule of thumb, an employer is expected to ensure information is circulated around the workplace to every single employee regarding what hazards and risks are present within the workplace and how these risks have been reduced. The workplace will naturally have aspects which could create danger for an employee, but if the employee is assured that these risks have been taken care of through careful planning and risk assessment measures conducted by the employer, then the workplace will naturally become a safer and more pleasant environment to work in.

Employers must consult their employees on all issues related to personal safety. They should do this through appointing a personal safety representative within the workplace; this individual can either be chosen by the employees or appointed by a trade union.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

A vital aspect of the Health and Safety at Work Act requires an employer to conduct a risk assessment of the workplace. Within this risk assessment the employer is expected to identify all hazards in the workplace, the scale of risk associated with the hazard, implementation of a control measure to protect employees against the hazard and to ensure that this risk assessment is continually updated to ensure it is in alignment with the workplace.

There is the legislative responsibility to communicate the risk assessment and control measures implemented around the workplace, ensuring all employees are aware of the findings. If an employer does not conform with the legislative responsibilities stated in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 then the Health and Safety Executive, and the Health and Safety Commission, which are the regulatory bodies responsible for enforcing legislative responsibilities stated in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, have the ability to enforce criminal sanctions such as imprisonment for up to two years and unlimited fines.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations is a complementary piece of legislation to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This enforces the following legislative responsibilities, which are certainly similar to the previous 1974 piece of legislation:

A risk assessment must be conducted by the employer.

Prevention policy to protect personal safety in the workplace must be created and communicated around the workplace.

A health and safety team must be created from the pool of employees, responsible for conducting and enforcing the health and safety measures.

Employees must be aware that they have the right to report the employer to the Health and Safety Executive if they are not complying with legislative responsibilities.

If an employer does not comply with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, the Health and Safety Executive as well as local authorities have the enforcement powers to imprison guilty individuals for negligence and to impose fines of up to £20,000.

Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for employers to comply with UK health and safety legislation to ensure personal safety in the workplace is maintained. If not, the repercussions can be serious and therefore legislative responsibility of employers must not be handled lightly.

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There has been a rise in violence and episodes of physical assault within the workplace, even in the form of threats made against employees. This rise has led UK health and safety bodies, such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to respond to this problem and ensure that the workplaces of businesses are kept safe. An employer has the responsibility to ensure that all employees and work associates are aware of the existing legislation regarding violent situations in the workplace.
What is the employer’s responsibility regarding violence in the workplace?
An employer in the UK has the legislative responsibility to protect employees from violence, aggression and abuse. Whether this violence, aggression or abuse comes from the public or other employees does not matter – it is still the employer’s responsibility to ensure employees are protected.
The Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1974 establish the legislative responsibility for employers to conduct ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessments of employees. These risk assessments will include analysing the relationships which exist within the workplace to decide whether there is any tension or conflict between individuals that could possibly escalate into violence. This must be recorded and documented for employers to show during any investigations conducted into the organisation.
The UK Home Office conducted an investigation into violent situations which are rising within businesses and organisations in the UK. The study found that individuals working within the security and protective service industry are the highest risk group subject to violent situations. Following this group it tends to be health care workers (such as nurses) which is subject to violence in the workplace. This rise in violence should not be tolerated. The UK has cracked down on the legislation related to such situations.

So, what is the legislation regarding self-defence in a potentially violent situation?
The law regarding self-defence is as follows:
Reasonable force can be used if needed to defend oneself, but it must not be out of proportion to the attack involved. An employer will subsequently be liable if the action of the employee is considered to be unreasonable and out of proportion to the initial unleash of violence.
If an employer does not conduct a risk assessment which fairly analyses the personal safety of employees, then an employee has the right to resign or claim unfair constructive dismissal if their employer has breached the duty of care through not providing protection. Ultimately, if this has left an employee within a situation of ‘serious and imminent’ danger, which may have arisen within a violent situation, then the employee has the right to take matters into their own hands and protect themselves.
Steps to protect yourself as an employee, could even be your decision to leave the workplace altogether because you feel threatened by another employee or work associate. If the conditions which exist are sufficient, then an employer cannot condemn an employee for leaving due to not feeling sufficiently protected. The employee has the right not to be subject to detriment short of dismissal, such a loss of pay, disciplinary action or a demotion.
For example, if an employee has experienced physical violence, threats due to their sex or race, or harassment, then they have the right to defend themselves, and the employer should support this. The employer will be found liable for this violent situation if it is evident that they did not conduct necessary steps to prevent the act. Ways in which an employer can prove that they attempted to reduce harassment or violence within workplace can be through conducting training courses, disciplinary sanctions and policies which state that violence is not tolerated. All of these steps must be recorded and documented for the Health and Safety Executive to take them seriously.
As an employer it can be certainly difficult to prepare for all aspects of violence within the workplace. If violence does take place and the employer is unsure how to act, they can consult the following steps:
Consult the Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders upon particular troublesome employees
Or
Seek compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Violent situations can occur randomly and spontaneously, but it is always wise as an employer to ensure legislation and training regarding violence in the workplace is circulated around the organisation. This will ensure that all employees and work associates are aware of what their rights and legal duties are.

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Different workplace environments naturally present their own specific hazards which could create risk to the employees and work associates. It is an employer’s responsibility to comply with UK health and safety legal duties, but it is also an employee’s own responsibility to care for their personal safety. If an employer is not complying with health and safety standards, employees will be at risk, and therefore it is an employee’s responsibility to report the employer and ensure health and safety standards are subsequently secured. For both employer and employee, training and knowledge of health and safety duties is essential to ensure personal safety is maintained.

What type of work activities can affect personal safety?

There are some specific work activities which contain more danger than others. For example the work activities which evidently have more danger attached to them are:

Working at height.

Working in a laboratory handling hazardous substances and chemicals.

Working in health and social care, which involves dealing with poorly patients.

Working in an animal-related health centre, which involves dealing with poorly animals.

Working in a factory where the noise levels are extremely high, as this could create long-term health issues.

Work activities which don’t necessarily strike us as being dangerous, do still have their own dangers involved, and therefore these types of work activities deserve their own attention:

Working within an office environment, such as sitting at an office desk, can create problems with back injuries.

Moreover, working within an office environment can present other issues regarding personal safety, such as work-related violence. Conflict within the office could lead some employees to feel threatened and at risk.

Your employer’s responsibility to protect your personal safety

Employers must conduct the following steps to try and prevent any harm to employees’ personal safety:

– Conduct a risk assessment to ensure that all hazards are identified and subsequently protected by control measures.

– Ensure all material within the workplace that is used is analysed to ensure that they are safe to use.

– First aid is available to ensure that if an incident does occur, there are sufficient health and safety measures on hand.

– Employees have been told of all potential hazards which exist within the workplace.

– Ensure that signs and warnings for hazards are all maintained.

– Ensure that temperature, lighting and toilet facilities are all maintained to a high standard.

– Emergency plans. For example, for fire safety, protocol is all prepared and communicated around the workplace.

If your employer is not ensuring that any of these health and safety duties are being maintained, then an employee must report the employer. The UK Health and Safety Executive are the appropriate body to report such instances to.

It is of the utmost importance for an employer and employees to ensure personal safety is maintained. Thus, training and knowledge of health and safety standards is vital for the workplace to be a secure and safe environment.

Health and safety is of the utmost importance in the UK and there is a range of legislation created with the aim of establishing health and safety culture within UK workplaces. Consequently, employers have the responsibility to ensure training programmes are conducted to raise awareness of the relevant health and safety requirements amongst all employees. This will eventually promote a health and safety culture as well as a harmonious workplace atmosphere.

Which UK health and safety legislation will allow employees to contribute to a health and safety culture?

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974:

– The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 has created a structure for businesses in the UK to abide by health and safety requirements, and subsequently for employees to gain insight into what they should expect in their workplace. The employer has the responsibility to communicate the health and safety standards stated within the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 amongst employees. Employees subsequently should comply with these requirements to contribute to a health and safety culture.

– One of the notable requirements set out within this legislation is the conduct of risk assessments, which involves every individual within the workplace. Even if you are not one of the employees who is responsible for conducting the risk assessment, you must be aware of the hazards and risks which were identified, and subsequently be aware of the control measures which have been implemented to protect all individuals from these risks. Once all individuals are aware of the risk assessment which has been conducted, employees can make a concerted effort to ensure risks are protected and control measures are maintained.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999:

This piece of legislation is complementary to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, and similarly all employees should be aware of its following requirements to allow them to comply with these regulations in the workplace:

– The conduct of a risk assessment

– The creation of a well communicated prevention policy which all employees and work associates are well aware of

– Appropriate employees should be appointed with health and safety responsibilities, such as conducting risk assessments and ensuring control measures are in place

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002:

Employees should be aware of these requirements, especially within workplaces such as chemical labs where hazardous substances are used within day-to-day work, and thus through complying with regulations they will contribute to a health and safety culture:

– Identifying hazardous substances in the workplace and the different forms in which they can present themselves.

– To take part in risk assessment, which essentially identifies the hazardous substances and then distinguishes what appropriate control measures must be used to protect individuals against these substances.

– For all employees to be well aware of emergency plans.

Employees must report incidents if they occur within the workplace in order to contribute to health and safety culture:

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) requires employees and employers to report if an incident has occurred within the workplace, whether this is to with death, injury or disease.

This report can be issued to the relevant authority, such as the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE). If an incident is not reported, the HSE have the authority to investigate the relevant organisation and subsequently penalise them for a lack of compliance with health and safety culture.

Essentially, all individuals must comply with UK health and safety regulations in order to contribute to a health and safety culture within the workplace. Individuals can ensure their own personal safety is protected through being aware of all relevant regulations, and from abstaining from violence within the workplace. Training and knowledge of relevant legislation will enable a health and safety culture to be maintained in the workplace.

Violence in the workplace between employees and customers can instigate problematic situations which will implicate the employer. As an employer it is important to establish a zero-tolerance code of conduct regarding violence in the workplace to ensure employees are aware that the workplace is a violence-free zone. Consequently, training and communication of anti-violent behaviour must be circulated around the workplace to ensure violence in the workplace is prevented.

What is violence in the workplace?

Violence in the workplace can assume many forms, and if it does occur it has the potential to be very serious. If an individual engages in any form of violence within the workplace, they will ultimately face potential removal from their organisation, as violence is not dealt with lightly. Violent activity includes the following:

– Antisocial behaviour.

– Threatening another employee or work associate.

– The intentional action to hurt another individual within the workplace through physical assault, such as punching.

– The intentional action to verbally or emotionally abuse another individual within the workplace, such as through bullying or intimidation.

– Sexual assault.

What are some essential steps which an employer can take to ensure violence is prevented within the workplace?

1) Establish a policy which directly refers to violence and harassment in the workplace:

– If you ensure that you have a policy in place, which explicitly states that violence, aggression and harassment will not be tolerated within the workplace, it will deter employees from engaging in such acts.

– An anti-violence policy will deter employees from such action as they will be aware that it will threaten their position within the organisation.

2) Ensure that your organisation’s anti-violence policy is circulated and communicated around the workplace:

– Essentially, you need to appoint certain individuals to communicate this policy around the workplace.

– Subsequently, these particular individuals can provide points of contact for employees to go to if they have encountered violence or are suspicious of activity which could escalate into a violent situation. Thus, an effective line of communication will be established within the workplace to aid the reporting of violence.

3) Create a culture which encourages employees to embrace one another and their differences:

– As an employer, you need to highlight the positive energy and work output which will occur if employees embrace one another.

– This will allow the workplace to become a far friendlier and more harmonious environment.

4) Prevention of such violent actions is key. If an employee reports a situation which looks like it might escalate into violence, it is the employer’s responsibility to prevent this from occurring:

– If an effective line of communication has been established within the workplace, it will allow employees to report any suspicious activity before it has the time to escalate into a violent situation.

– This will protect all individuals from engaging with a violent situation that does not need to occur.

Therefore, to ensure that violence is prevented within all aspects of the workplace, training and the creation of a zero-tolerance code of conduct regarding violence must be established. Effectively, the workplace will be free from violence and a far more harmonious and productive atmosphere will be established.

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It is well known that it is an employer’s responsibility to ensure health and safety standards are maintained within the workplace to protect the personal safety of employees. An employer can abide by the UK health and safety standards through complying with specific legislation, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Although employers should be ensuring the workplace is a risk and hazard free zone, it is also an employee’s own personal responsibility to ensure they protect their personal safety as best as possible. Therefore, training and knowledge regarding how to minimise risks to your own personal safety is essential.
Here are some simple steps which can help you ensure your own personal safety in the workplace is protected:
Of course, this is all relevant to your specific workplace. For example, if you are regularly working at height, then there are certain steps which you can conduct to minimise risks to your personal safety, which you would not have to take if you were working in an office. You need to apply everything to the context of your workplace, taking into consideration the risks and hazards which are present there.

However, some standard steps which can be applied to the context of different workplaces in order to minimise the risks to your personal safety could be:
1) If possible, always take the option of a less risky alternative in order to conduct a job, if it is going to create the same outcome anyway. For example, if you are working within a laboratory and for an experiment you have the option to use a more hazardous substance or a substance which is less hazardous, yet both will achieve the same outcome, then opt for the substance which is less hazardous and will minimise risk to your personal safety when handling the substance.
2) If possible, set up your workplace (and particular sections in the workplace) to ensure there is reduced exposure to any hazards which have been identified. For example, if there is a leakage from the ceiling in the office, ensure that your desk has been moved a sufficient distance away so that it is no longer in contact with the hazard.
3) Ensure that you do not come into contact with a hazard which has already been identified. If there is a spilt liquid on the floor which could cause an individual to slip, avoid this area as it has been identified to hold a risk and therefore you do not need to encounter that risk.
4) If your workplace requires personal protective equipment, then ensure that you wear this equipment whenever you are in the workplace. For example, if you are handling hazardous substances and you have been given protective gloves or body wear, ensure you wear this at all times when handling the substances.
5) Ensure that you personally know where to go to if you need to find some first-aid or washing products to help if an incident has occurred in which you need to clean a cut or bandage a wound.
It is essential that co-operation is maintained between employers and employees to ensure that health and safety standards are maintained, and subsequently risks to personal safety are minimised. Training and knowledge of steps to reduce risks to personal safety is therefore essential.

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