SIA Door Health & Safety at Work 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the main piece of legislation that places a duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees in the UK?
- Food Safety Act 1990
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (Correct answer)
- Equality Act 2010
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Correct answer: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary legislation placing general duties on employers to protect employee health, safety and welfare.
Question 2: Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employees have a duty to:
- Carry out their own risk assessments independently
- Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their work (Correct answer)
- Report all incidents directly to the Health and Safety Executive
- Refuse any task they consider potentially hazardous
Correct answer: Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their work
Section 7 of the HASAWA 1974 requires employees to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
Question 3: What does RIDDOR stand for?
- Reporting of Incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Correct answer)
- Recording of Incidents, Deaths and Dangerous Occupational Risks
- Regulation of Injuries, Disorders and Dangerous Operations at Risk
Correct answer: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
RIDDOR stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, which require employers to report certain workplace incidents to the HSE.
Question 4: Under RIDDOR 2013, within how many days must an employer report a worker's specified injury (such as a bone fracture other than a finger or toe) to the HSE?
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 10 days (Correct answer)
- 15 days
Correct answer: 10 days
Specified injuries to workers must be reported to the HSE within 10 days of the incident occurring under RIDDOR 2013.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a risk assessment in the workplace?
- To assign blame in the event of an accident
- To identify hazards and evaluate the level of risk so that appropriate control measures can be implemented (Correct answer)
- To satisfy insurance requirements only
- To prove that the employer has not been negligent
Correct answer: To identify hazards and evaluate the level of risk so that appropriate control measures can be implemented
A risk assessment identifies hazards, evaluates the risk they pose, and determines what control measures are needed to reduce risk to an acceptable level.
Question 6: What does COSHH stand for?
- Control of Safety and Substances Handling Hazards
- Code of Safe and Sound Hygiene Handling
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Correct answer)
- Conduct of Safe Substance and Health Handling
Correct answer: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, the regulations requiring employers to control substances that may cause ill health.
Question 7: The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require employers to:
- Provide all employees with mechanical handling equipment at all times
- Avoid the need for manual handling where reasonably practicable, and where unavoidable, reduce the risk of injury (Correct answer)
- Prohibit all manual lifting tasks in security environments
- Ensure employees complete an annual physical fitness test
Correct answer: Avoid the need for manual handling where reasonably practicable, and where unavoidable, reduce the risk of injury
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require employers to first avoid manual handling where reasonably practicable, and where unavoidable, to assess and reduce the risk of injury.
SIA Door Health & Safety at Work 1
What is the main piece of legislation that places a duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees in the UK?