The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) Explained
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) is a piece of legislation that was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in order to not only modify past legislation associated with labor practices and standards considered to be inefficient, but also to provide a legal requirement for employers to ensure that employees are privy to safe and healthy work environments.
The Administration of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
Currently, all matters concerning the administration and oversight of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) is considered to be the responsibility of the Labour Research Department of the United Kingdom; this Parliamentary Department serves as the regulatory institution responsible for the administration and authorization of employment and labor undertaken within the commercial marketplace of the United Kingdom:
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) serves as the primary regulation associated with the regulatory operation and administration of standards and practices undertaken within the workplace
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) oversees both the authentication, as well as the determination of the inherent safety latent within individual workplaces; such determination results from investigative measures of workplace safety and health as expressed within the precepts of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
The Components of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
The primary structural ideology employed through the statutes expressed by the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) is rooted within an analytical instrument known as ‘Ergonomics’; with regard to the bulk of employment practices, ergonomics is classified as the analysis of the relationship between a worker and their respective work environment. Due to the vast expanse of not only the precepts latent within the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), but also within the methodologies enacted within the study of Ergonomics, the requirements expected an employer by the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) are considered to ensure an all-encompassing working environment rooted in safety and health:
Occupational Hazards
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) defines any occupational hazard as an event, activity, or product located within the perimeter of the workplace to pose an immediate and identifiable risk of injury or harm resulting from improper handling or usage:
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) requires that the usage of any equipment or machinery considered to be dangerous be limited to those individuals who have satisfied applicable training and received appropriate certification of operation
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) requires that the handling and undertaking of substances determined to harmful upon exposure be stored in locations where they cannot cause harm or illness onto individuals within their proximity; appropriate signage and notification with regard to the collective awareness of the substances are required to be posted – in addition, the disposal of such materials is required to conform to the ideology expressed within the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
Violations of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
In the event that an individual wishes to place a verified report of the practices and standards required within the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), they are encouraged to contact the Labour Research Department of the United Kingdom through their telephone number: 020 7928 3649