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1. OverviewAll businesses must ensure that their equipment is used and maintained correctly to reduce the risk of accidents or damage to health and to meet health and safety requirements. Under health and safety law, employers have a duty to minimise risks to employees. This guide explains how to assess and reduce the risks of using workplace equipment. It covers the safeguards you need to put in place to prevent injury, the maintenance required and the rules that cover the disposal of equipment. 2. Safe use of machinery, equipment and toolsEmployers are legally required to ensure that all equipment supplied and used for work purposes is safe and does not pose a long-term hazard or risk to employee health. Employers are also required to ensure that those using equipment have sufficient knowledge and training to use it safely. Work equipment - your legal dutiesYou must ensure work equipment is safe under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. In particular equipment must be:
You'll need to assess the risks of using the equipment as part of your overall health and safety risk assessment. The rules also cover mobile work equipment such as dumper trucks and forklift vehicles. Use hand-held tools safelyAnyone who uses a hand-held tool may be at risk of injury. As far as possible, use guards and provide protective clothing, eg masks, ear defenders and gloves. Organise the use of tools during work operations and their storage when not in use. Dealing with old equipmentWhen dealing with old equipment, you must ensure it is safely and properly handled, stored, transported and recovered or disposed of. This is known as theduty of carefor waste. If the equipment contains hazardous components, such as cathode ray tubes or ozone-depleting substances, you will need to follow additional requirements underhazardous wastelegislation. If you manufacture, distribute or sellelectrical and electronic goods, you must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2006. 3. Protect yourself and employeesWorkers in many roles may require special protective equipment at work. Employers are legally obliged to provide their employees with such equipment where it's necessary. Does your business need personal protective equipment (PPE)?Workers must use PPE and clothing if their health and safety can't otherwise be adequately protected. Where PPE is necessary, employers must provide it to employees free of charge. Self-employed people are also required to obtain it for themselves. Do I need PPE?As the effectiveness of protective equipment can easily be compromised by being badly worn or used, it should be seen as a last resort. Examine whether processes can be carried out differently to minimise risk instead. Before purchasing equipment consider carefully what is needed and whether separate items are compatible. For example, do protective goggles make it difficult for a respirator to fit properly? You must also ensure that all PPE meets set standards. Businesses in certain sectors are obliged to provide protective equipment under regulations that override PPE legislation. Buy the right personal protective equipmentUnder the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 you may need to provide:
4. Run a maintenance programmeThere are eight key areas that you should monitor to ensure you comply with personal protective equipment (PPE) regulations:
In certain circumstances, failure to comply with the PPE regulations can attract a fine of up to £20,000 and a prison sentence of one year in a summary trial or an unlimited fine and/or two years in an indictment trial at a sheriff court. Note that the sentencing option of one year applies in Scotland, but will only apply in England and Wales when Section 154 (1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 is enacted. 5. Check if personal protective exemptions applyThe Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations 1992 do not apply to:
The PPE regulations also do not apply where separate legislation already obliges employers to provide personal protective equipment. These are the:
6. Ensure employees are operation computers safelyUnder health and safety law, you must ensure that computer screens or monitors, keyboards, non-keyboard input devices, furniture and the working environment meet certain minimum requirements and are easy to adjust to the individual's needs. Using laptops safelySome of the design features on laptops and other portable computers can make them uncomfortable to use for long periods. Employees shouldn't routinely use laptops where full-sized equipment is available or should be provided with a laptop docking station so that they can work with a full-sized keyboard and screen. You must provide training for employees using portable display screen equipment (DSE). Minimising security risksIf you work from home or out of an office environment - remote working - you should take effective security measures to protect both equipment and information, such as:
Workstation furniture and users' postureThe work desk or work surface should:
Workstation chairs should:
The working environmentThe general conditions in the workplace also have an effect on the health and safety of DSE users. You need to assess:
Task design and rest breaksYou must plan the activities of computer users so that they don't work for long uninterrupted periods on DSE. You can do this through a combination of rest breaks and changes in work activity which allow users to change posture. You also have a duty to tell employees about the importance of changing activities and taking breaks and to encourage them to do both. Good design of the task can be as important as the right choice of furniture and equipment. Whenever possible you should:
An employee's need for rest breaks will vary depending on the type of work they are doing and how intensely they are working. As a general rule however:
Employee trainingUnder health and safety law, you must train your employees in the safe use of DSE. Eyesight testsAll employees who regularly use DSE have the right to ask you to pay foreye and eyesight tests. This will be carried out by an optometrist or doctor and it's your duty to pay the fee. DSE users have the right to regular tests thereafter. Employers only have to pay forglassesif special ones are needed for DSE work and the employee can't use normal glasses. 7. Prevent RSI and upper limb disordersThere are more than 20 different conditions which can be described as upper limb disorders (ULDs), or repetitive strain injury (RSI). ULDs can affect the neck, shoulders and arms - including hands, wrists, fingers and elbows. Review your processes to minimise upper limb disorders The only way to fully eliminate the risk of upper limb disorders (ULDs) is to avoid using processes or equipment that might pose a risk. However, on a practical level, you may not be able to mechanise high-risk tasks, or protect employees from exposure to risk altogether. Risky tasks may be a crucial part of your core activities. However, you can use your health and safety risk assessment to identify high-risk tasks and minimise their impact on your employees. Checklist: avoiding upper limb disorders You have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of you and your employees. This includes taking steps to prevent upper limb disorders (ULDs) or to prevent them worsening if they've already occurred. Make sure you:
Keep monitoring working conditions - review your risk assessment regularly. 8. Work safely at height or in a confined spaceBusinesses whose operations involve working above or below the ground or in confined spaces must comply with rules designed to minimise the risks of injury. Assess the risks of working at heightYou must consider the specific risks posed by working at height as part of your overall health and safety risk assessment. Plan work carried out at heightYou need to take steps to reduce the risks of all falls liable to cause personal injury to anyone on your premises or site, eg employees, visitors and contractors. Make sure roofs, working platforms and walkways are safeAccidents don't just happen to those building roofs, but also to people maintaining, cleaning, demolishing and inspecting them. Remember, working on a roof can be dangerous. Any fall from a roof inevitably involves at least serious injury. Your risk assessment should help you choose the most suitable type of equipment to use. You need to ensure that all equipment is well maintained and checked regularly. All equipment should be removed from the platform at the end of the working day, and any power supplies should be switched off. What is a confined space?A confined space has two defining features:
You must ensure that any work carried out in a confined space, where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of serious injury, complies with the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997. 9. Risk assessmentsThere are many hazards involved in a workplace. In order to assess and mange any potential risks you should carry out a risk assessment. For example:
When you identify a problem, you must take steps to minimise the risk to employees. For example:
If you have further questions about employee safety regulations, call us on 0300 013 4753. Get the support you need right nowYou can connect with us through the contact form, call us or contact your local Business Gateway office. Which procedure helps to ensure equipment does not?Lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures are used to ensure that equipment or machinery does not release hazardous energy in the form of electricity, chemicals, heat, or dangerous potential energy from mechanical, hydraulic or gravitational systems during maintenance and other shutdowns.
What can be done to prevent caught in or between incidents involving rolling equipment?Pay special attention that rotating or moving parts are properly guarded. Always realize you can get caught in machinery by belts, pulleys, gears, rotating shafts and other moving parts. Also, ensure you're wearing the correct PPE for the job, and avoid loose clothing and other items that can be caught in machinery.
Which procedure helps to ensure equipment does not accidentally re energize when it's being repaired or worked on?Lockout/tagout is a specific set of procedures to safeguard employees from unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.
What safety equipment can protect operators from being thrown from their equipment and crushed during a tip over?ROPS are designed to create a protective zone around the operator when a rollover occurs. When used with a seat belt, the ROPS will prevent the operator from being thrown from the protective zone and crushed from an overturning tractor or from equipment mounted or hooked to the tractor (see Figure 1).
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