Health + safety at work

General Health and Safety in YOUR business

Like any employer you need to be aware of the key issues surrounding health and safety.

What are the main causes of accidents and ill-health in the catering industry?

According to research by the Health and Safety Executive the main issues are:

• trips and falls;
• dermatitis;
• contact with hot surfaces or harmful substances;
• lifting and manual handling.

How can I find out about the regulations I need to adhere to?

The Health and Safety Executive state the following... "Six sets of Health and Safety at Work Regulations came into force on 1 January 1993 in order to implement six European Community directives. The regulations are written in such a way as to encourage proper health and safety management. They also require risk assessments to be carried out. It is good practice to ensure that money spent on health and safety matters is directed at the hazards presenting the greatest risk. The assessment requirements in the new regulations seek to ensure that you identify such risks before moving down the path of providing adequate control. The key will be to make systems efficient and effective: mountains of paper will not impress inspectors, but assessment of risk conducted at a level appropriate to the nature of the business and its work activities, leading to effective risk control, should find favour."

Further details of the specific legislation and what you need to do can be found by clicking on the HSE link below.

Health and Safety Executive

Items on the HSE website support the HSE's mission which is: "to ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled".

www.hse.gov.uk

An alternative site to refer to is The Food Standards Agency :

www.food.gov.uk