Legislation
For health and social care work a variety of legislation sets standards on how to handle issues to improve services and positive outcomes.
This legislation is outlined below.
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The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
This is the main piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK.
It places a duty on employers and employees for the health, safety and welfare of persons in the workplace.
The Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999
Workplaces should have a procedure in place for recording, reporting and evaluating all serious incidents.
They should take measures to avoid them happening again.
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR)
This places duties on responsible persons working on the premises to report specific workplace accidents, occupational diseases and specific dangerous occurrences or near misses to their local Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
This requires employers to assess the risks of potentially harmful substances and take precautions to minimise these.
They include, for example, cleaning materials and medication.
The Provisions and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
Anyone responsible for work equipment should ensure that it is suitable for the job, well maintained, inspected regularly and only operated by well-informed and trained staff.
A breach of any of these regulations is a crime in the UK and therefore needs to be reported immediately. If any person suffers harm as a result, the offender may be taken to court.
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