Workplace, Health, Safety & Welfare

These regulations cover a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues, and are intended to protect the Health & Safety of everyone in the workplace, and to ensure that adequate welfare facilities are provided for people at work. 

All workplaces need to be adequately ventilated. Fresh, clean uncontaminated air should be drawn from an outside source. Where mechanical ventilation systems are used they should be regularly maintained and up to date records kept. 

Individual personal preference makes it difficult to specify a thermal environment that satisfies everyone. For workplaces where the activity is mainly sedentary, the temperature should normally be at least 16C. If work involves physical effort it should be at least 13C unless other laws require lower temperatures. 

Personal and environmental factors need to be considered when making an assessment of the risk to employees' health from working in either hot or cold environments such as kitchens or outdoors. 

Lighting should be sufficient to enable all people to work and move about safely. If necessary, local lighting should be provided. Lighting and light fittings should not create any hazard. Automatic emergency lighting should be provided where a sudden loss of light would create a risk. 

Workplaces, furniture and fittings should be kept clean and should have enough free space to allow people to move about with ease. 

There should be sufficient traffic routes, of sufficient width and headroom, to allow people to circulate safely and with ease. Floors and traffic routes should be sound and sufficiently illuminated and the relevant signage in place. Surfaces should not be uneven or slippery and should be kept free of obstructions, as should traffic routes. Avoid using these areas as temporary storage facilities as they often become permanent creating a hazard. 

Caution: This statement gives basic information on health and safety. Please contact the Advice Line for specific advice. Contact Us.