Although we would welcome you to contact us with any questions you may have about health and safety, you will also find here some frequently asked questions and answers that may be of interest.
Accidents - how do I report accidents?
Display Screen Equipment - should VDU users be given breaks?
Fire - is there a requirement to train all employees in the use of fire extinguishers?
First Aid - how many first aiders do I require?
Lone Working - can a person be left alone at their place of work?
Protective Equipment - do employers have to provide personal protective equipment (PPE)?
Space - is there a minimum space requirement for each person in an office?
Temperature - what is the maximum/minimum temperature in the workplace?
Accidents - how do I report accidents?
Incidents to be reported under RIDDOR may be reported to the Incident Contact Centre (ICC). The Contact Centre was established on 1st April 2001 as a single point of contact for reporting all incidents in the UK.
You can report incidents by any of the following routes:
Telephone: 0845 3009923 (available Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.00pm).
Internet: www.riddor.gov.uk
Fax: - 0845 3009924 (fax reporting form) or
Post to: Incident Contact Centre, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly, CF83 3GG
You can still report directly to your local HSE Office or Local Authority by completing and sending them the relevant hard copy form.
Display Screen Equipment - should VDU users be given breaks?
The relevant regulations are the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment)
Regulations 1992. Regulation 4, is concerned with the daily activities
of users and the accompanying guidance states:
In most tasks, natural breaks or pauses occur as a consequence of the
inherent organisation of the work. Whenever possible, jobs at display
screens should be designed to consist of a mix of screen-based and non
screen-based work to prevent fatigue and to vary visual and mental demands.
Where the job unavoidably contains spells of intensive display screen
work (whether using the keyboard or input device, reading the screen,
or a mixture of the two), these should be broken up by periods of non-intensive,
non-display screen work. Where work cannot be so organised, e.g. in
jobs requiring only data or text entry requiring sustained attention
and concentration, deliberate breaks or pauses must be introduced.
Where the display screen work involves intensive use of the keyboard, any activity that would demand broadly similar use of the arms or hands should be avoided during breaks. Similarly, if the display screen work is visually demanding, any activities during breaks should be of a different visual character. Breaks must also allow users to vary their posture.
For further information about Display Screen Equipment regulations, click here.
Fire - is there a requirement to train all employees in the use of fire extinguishers?
There is no absolute requirement to train all staff in the use of fire extinguishers. There is, however, an absolute requirement to train all staff in the precautions in your workplace and what actions they should take in case of a fire.
Employers are required to undertake fire risk assessments and part of this will help to determine the need to train staff in the use of extinguishers.
First Aid - how many first aiders do I require?
The relevant regulations are the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. This guidance to the regulations sets out the difference between a 'first aider' and an 'appointed person':
In any company, the number and type of first aid personnel would be based on an assessment. In assessing need, employers need to consider:
- workplace hazards and risks;
- the size of the organisation;
- the organisation's history of accidents;
- the nature and distribution of the workforce;
- the remoteness of the site from emergency medical services;
- the needs of travelling, remote and lone workers;
- employees working on shared or multi-occupied sites;
- annual leave and other absences of first aiders and appointed persons.
Whilst the regulations do not give specific personnel numbers, the guidance does give suggested numbers of first aid personnel:
| Category of risk | Number of employees
at any location |
Suggested number of first aid personnel |
| Lower
risk workplaces (e.g. shops, offices etc.) |
Less than 50 | At least one appointed
person |
| 50-100 | At least one first
aider |
|
| Medium
risk (e.g. light engineering and assembly work, food processing,
warehousing) |
Less than 20 | At least one appointed
person |
| 20-100 | At least one first
aider for every 50 employed (or part thereof) |
|
| Higher
risk (e.g. construction, chemical manufacture, extensive work with
dangerous machinery or sharp instruments) |
Less than 5 | At least one appointed
person |
| 5-50 | At least one first
aider |
|
| More than 50 | One additional first aider for every 50 employed |
The details above are suggestions only - they are not definitive nor are they are legal requirement. It is for you to assess your first-aid needs in the light of your particular circumstances.
Lone Working - can a person be left alone at their place of work?
There are no absolute restrictions on working alone; it will depend on the findings of a risk assessment.
Although there is no general legal prohibition on working alone, the broad duties of the HSW Act and MHSW Regulations still apply. These require identifying hazards of the work, assessing the risks involved, and putting measures in place to avoid or control the risks.
When risk assessment shows that it is not possible for the work to be done safely by a lone worker, arrangements for providing help or back-up should be put in place. Where a lone worker is working at another employer's workplace, that employer should inform the lone worker's employer of any risks and the control measures that should be taken. This helps the lone worker's employer to assess the risks.
Lone workers should not be at more risk than other employees. This may require extra risk-control measures. Precautions should take account of normal work and foreseeable emergencies, e.g. fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents. Employers should identify situations where people work alone and ask questions such as:
- Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker?
- Is there a safe way in and a way out for one person? Can any temporary access equipment which is necessary, such as portable ladders or trestles, be safely handled by one person?
- Can all the plant, substances and goods involved in the work be safely handled by one person? Consider whether the work involves lifting objects too large for one person or whether more than one person is needed to operate essential controls for the safe running of equipment.
- Is there a risk of violence?
- Are women especially at risk if they work alone?
- Are young workers especially at risk if they work alone?
- Is the person medically fit and suitable to work alone?
- What happens if the person becomes ill, has an accident or there is an emergency?
Risk assessment should help decide the right level of supervision.
Protective Equipment - do employers have to provide personal protective equipment (PPE)?
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, accompanying guidance states:
Employers should, therefore, provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and training in its usage to their employees wherever there is a risk to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled by other means.
In order to provide PPE for their employees, employers must do more than simply have the equipment on the premises. The employees must have the equipment readily available, or at the very least have clear instructions on where they can obtain it.
By virtue of Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, no charge can be made to the worker for the provision of PPE which is used only at work.
Space - is there a minimum space requirement for each person in an office?
Yes - The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 identify the minimum space is 3.7m² floor space per person or, where the ceiling height is less than 3m high, 11m³ for each person. The total space allocated can be averaged across an area and does not mean that everyone must have their own space.
Temperature - what is the maximum/minimum temperature in the workplace?
Workplace temperature is dealt with under The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Regulation 7 of these Regulations deals specifically with the temperature in indoor workplaces and states that:
During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.
However, the application of the regulation depends on the nature of the workplace i.e. a bakery, a cold store, an office, a warehouse.
The associated ACOP goes on to explain:
‘The temperature in workrooms should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing. Where such a temperature is impractical because of hot or cold processes, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a temperature which is as close as possible to comfortable. 'Workroom' means a room where people normally work for more than short periods.
The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius unless much of the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. These temperatures may not, however, ensure reasonable comfort, depending on other factors such as air movement and relative humidity.’
There is no upper limit guidance provided.
