The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Introduction
The duties of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, because of
their wide-ranging general nature, overlap with many existing regulations. Where
duties overlap, compliance with the duty in the more specific regulation will normally
be sufficient to comply with the corresponding duty in the Management of Health
and Safety at Work Regulations.
For example, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (CoSHH) requires
employers and the self-employed to assess the risks arising from exposure to substances
hazardous to health. An assessment made for the purposes of the CoSHH Regulations
will not need to be repeated for the purpose of the Management of Health at Work
Regulations.
The theme running through these Regulations is essentially that of risk assessment,
the set out broad general duties, which apply to all kinds of work and workplaces.
Employers must:
- assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees and to anyone else
who may be affected by their activity, so that the necessary preventative and protective
measures can be identified.
- make arrangements for putting into practice the health and safety measures that
follow the risk assessment.
The 12 requirements of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
are:
- formal risk assessment
- formal management control system
- specific protective and preventative measures on the part of employers
- health surveillance
- competent person appointments
- arrangement of 'necessary contacts' with external services
- procedures for serious and imminent danger
- information for workers
- inter-employer co-operation
- job-specific training
- capability assessment
- further and detailed employee duties