Element – 1.3 (Who Does What in Organisations)
The Employer
The employer – a person or organisation that employs people.
The employer in this context is normally an organisation, such as a company, and is sometimes referred to as the ‘corporate body’. They are a legal person.
The Employer
Responsibility for ensuring that the workplace is safe and free of health risk rests with the employer.
As we noted earlier, this responsibility is made clear in:
- ILO Convention C155
- ILO Recommendation R164
Directors and Senior Managers
- Give an organisation its direction.
- Set its priorities.
- Allocate resources and appoint competent persons.
- Allocate responsibilities.
- Are responsible for ensuring that all of the legal requirements are met.
Diagram (bottom part of the slide):
Top tier management
- Managing Director
- Directors
Directors and Senior Managers
- Directors and senior managers can have enormous influence over their organisation and its priorities.
- The way they are perceived by those lower in the management hierarchy is very important; they must demonstrate clear commitment and leadership with regard to health and safety.
Middle Managers and Supervisors
- Middle managers and supervisors are involved in the day-to-day operational running of the organisation so are responsible for the health and safety standards within the operations under their control.
The Shared Responsibilities of Joint Occupiers of Premises
- ILO Convention C155 – Article 17
- ILO Recommendation R164 – Recommendation 11
- Employers in shared facilities should communicate to develop appropriate health and safety standards and appropriate policies and procedures.
- This may include:
- Sharing of procedures, e.g. fire and emergency response.
- Sharing of risk assessments.
- Joint management-committee meetings.
Contractor Management
If a client can be held responsible for an injury caused by a contractor working for the client, then it must be in the client’s own best interests to ensure that contractors do not endanger workers or others.
Contractor Management
The way that a client manages contractors can be broken down into three key areas:
- Selection of contractors.
- Planning and coordinating the work.
- Monitoring and managing the work.
Selection of Contractors
Things you should check:
- Health and safety policy.
- Risk assessments.
- Qualifications and training records.
- Membership of a professional organisation.
- Maintenance and equipment testing.
- Previous or current clients.
- Accident records.
- Enforcement action.
- Adequate resources.
Planning and Co-ordination of the Work
Information to be shared between client and contractor:
- Hazards posed by the site and work carried out.
- Hazards posed by the contractor’s activities.
- Risk assessments.
- Method statements.
Planning and Co-ordination of the Work
Arrangements between the client and contractor include:
- Ensuring activities don’t conflict.
- Permit-to-work system to control activities.
Monitor and Managing the Work
NEBOSH-IGC
International General Certificate
Clients must:
- Monitor the work to ensure safety.
The client can:
- Stop the work if it involves unsafe practices.
Auditing against agreed method statements is a good technique.
End of Module 1.3 Exercise
- To whom does an employer owe a duty with regard to health and safety?
- How can directors influence health and safety?
- What are the key worker responsibilities?
- What would you look for/check when selecting a contractor?