Health & safety

Aim

The aim of this guide is to provide information on Health and safety principles.  All those involved in practical deer management, whether as an employer, an employee or in a self-employed or recreational capacity, should be aware of Health and Safety issues and should ensure that all activities in which they are involved , adhere to Health and Safety regulations and guidelines.1

What is health and safety all about?

Health and safety is about preventing people from being harmed by work or becoming ill, by taking the right precautions and providing a satisfactory working environment.

Legal requirements

The basis of British health and safety law is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which sets out the general duties which employers have towards employees and members of the public, and employees have to themselves and to each other.
The principle behind these duties is ‘so far as is reasonably practicable, whereby employers should look at what the risks are and take sensible measures to tackle them.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 set out more explicitly what employers are required to do to manage health and safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Like the Act, they apply to every work activity.
The main requirement on employers is to carry out a risk assessment.*

Who do health and safety laws apply to?

Whilst health & safety laws apply to all businesses (however small), to the self-employed and to employees, it is recommended that even those participating in practical deer management recreationally should adhere to H& S principles.

All employers/self-employed must:

  • Carry out risk assessment under legislation relating to specific activities or types of risk, including those listed in the table overleaf.2

All employers must:

  • Have employers’ liability compulsory insurance and should display the certificate.3
  • Display the health and safety law poster or provide employees with individual copies of the same information in a leaflet called Health and safety law: What you should know.4
  • Provide first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel appropriate for the circumstances in the workplace.

Employees

  • Have a duty to assess risks and work safely with consideration for their own wellbeing and that of those around them. Have a responsibility to co-operate with their employers over safety matters (Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974). There is no differentiation between employees and contractors. The employer will still be responsible for safety, though in the case of contractors this may be shared.

Do I have to report injuries at work?

It is a legal requirement to securely record all accidents and good practice to record near misses in the workplace. From April 2012, deaths and some injuries, listed occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences and listed near-misses, must be reported to HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). 5

Common areas of risk at work

The following table outlines the key common areas of risk at work and provides links to find out more to ensure that work is made safe.
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm, whereas risk is the likelihood of someone being harmed by the hazard, combined with how serious that harm might be.

Area of risk What law applies HSE information
Slips, trips and falls Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Preventing slips and trips at work INDG225(rev1) ISBN 0 7176 2760 8
Workplace health, safety and welfare INDG244(rev1) ISBN 0 7176 6192 X
Slips and trips: Guidance for employers on identifying hazards and controlling risks HSG155 ISBN 0 7176 1145 0 Slips and trips website: www.hse.gov.uk/slips
Hazardous substances Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
(as amended)
COSHH: A brief guide to the Regulations INDG136(rev3) ISBN 0 7176 2982 1
COSHH essentials: Easy steps to control chemicals. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations HSG193 ISBN 0 7176 2737 3 also available on: www.coshhessentials.org.uk
Falls from a height Work at Height Regulations 2005 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 The Work at Height Regulations 2005: A brief guide INDG401 ISBN 0 7176 2976 7 Simple guide to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998 INDG291 ISBN 0 7176 2429 3 Safe use of ladders and
stepladders: An employers’ guide INDG402 ISBN 0 7176 6105 9
Lone working Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Working Alone in safety. Controlling the risks of solitary work INDG73(rev)
ISBN 0 7176 1507 3
Musculoskeletal disorders Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended)
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Manual handling assessment charts INDG383 ISBN 0 7176 2741 1
Getting to grips with manual handling: A short guide INDG143(rev2)
ISBN 0 7176 2828 0
Noise Control of Noise at Work
Regulations 2005
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 L108 ISBN 0 7176 6164 Noise at Work: Guidance for employers on the Control of noise at Work Regulations 2005 INDG362(rev1) ISBN 0 7176 6165 2
Sound solutions: Techniques to reduce noise at work HSG138
ISBN 0 7176 0791 7 Protect your hearing or lose it! Pocket card INDG363(rev1) ISBN 0 7176 6166 0 Noise website: www.hse.gov.uk/noise
Work equipment and
machinery
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008; as amended 2011
Simple guide to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations INDG291 ISBN 0 7176 2429 3 Safe use of work equipment. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 L22 ISBN 0 7176 1626 6 Simple guide to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 INDG290
ISBN 0 7176 2430 7 Buying new machinery INDG27
ISBN 0 7176 1559 6 Using work equipment safely INDG229(rev1)
ISBN 0 7176 2389 0 Safe use of ladders and stepladders: An employers’ guide INDG402 FREE (available in packs of 5 ISBN 0 7176 6105 9)
Workplace transport Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Lifting Operations and
Lifting Equipment
Regulations 1998

Workplace transport safety: An employers’ guide HSG136
ISBN 0 7176 6154 7 Safety in working with lift trucks HSG6
ISBN 0 7176 1781 5 Workplace transport safety: An overview INDG199(rev1)
ISBN 0 7176 2821 3 Workplace transport site inspection checklist:
www.hse.gov.uk/workplace transport

Firearms Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974
Guns AS 7 (rev)