New guidance to help clients and contractors work together to meet their health and safety responsibilities has been published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The leaflet, Use of contractors – a joint responsibility, is aimed at clients and contractors across the industry, and aims to clarify their general responsibilities to protect each other, their workforce and the public.
Clients and contractors are not always clear about who is responsible for health and safety. The leaflet explains that, in any client/contractor relationships, in either the public or private sector, both parties will have responsibilities under health and safety law. The leaflet sets out general guidance on what both parties need to do to comply with their own particular responsibilities.
The guidance covers identifying the job, selecting a suitable contractor and subcontractor, assessing the risks of the work, providing information, instruction and training, co-operation and co-ordination, consulting the workforce, plus management and supervision.
Welcoming the guidance, Bill Callaghan, chair of the Health and Safety Commission, said:
“This guidance will be particularly useful to clients and contractors as it clarifies their general health and safety responsibilities in a single document. Where work is contracted out, contracts are sometimes used to pass on responsibilities. However, health and safety responsibilities cannot be passed on. Both parties have duties, and co-operation between them is essential if health and safety is to be properly managed.”
The leaflet includes case studies showing what can happen when things go wrong, and gives details of where further guidance can be obtained.
Free single copies of the leaflet can be ordered online at http://www.hsebooks.co.uk
PLS News 19/09/02
