Employee's Responsibilities for Health and Safety | Detailed Guidance |

 Employee's Responsibilities for Health and Safety 

It is important to recognise and fulfil the responsibilities for both employees and employer. As an employee it becomes crucial to carry out health and safety responsibilities because, employees are the one's who are directly effected by the hazards and risks. In this blog, I'm going to give you a detailed guidance about the responsibilities of employees with regards to health and safety (As Per ILO Recommendation R164). 

So let's get into it.

Employee's Responsibilities for Health and Safety:

Employees are Employers collectively can make a safe working environment. Employers have more responsibilities than employees but, employees are imposed with strict responsibilities. Employer is responsible for the safety of his employees, Employees are responsible for their safety as well as the safety of their colleagues. 

What are the responsibilities of Employee (As per ILO Recommendation R164)?

1) To Take Care:

Employees are responsible for taking care of their own Safety and of those who will be effected by their actions/Mistakes in the workplace. Employee should take each and every single step carefully, keeping this in mind that anyone could get effected by his unsafe action. 

Example (Imagine): 

A work (A) is change the bulb using ladder and his co-worker (B) is standing beside the ladder. Worker A (who is on the ladder) is having a screw driver in his hand. 

Now in that case, Worker (A) should take reasonable care of himself, by not exposing with electricity. 

And Worker (A) take care of worker B's Safety by holding screw driver properly so that it could not fall on the head of Worker (B).

2) To Comply with Instructions and Procedures:

Employees are strictly responsible for complying with safety instructions and procedures, developed and provided to them for their own safety. Employees should take part in training sessions and follow the safety protocols to ensure their physical and mental well-being. They should also adhere with the safety policy of the company. 

3) Use Adequate Personal Protective Equipment's (PPE's) Accurately:

It is the critical responsibility of employees to wear adequate safety devices and equipment's because it is essential for creating a safe working environment. Employees are expected to use adequate safety equipment's correctly according to their job task. Employees are also responsible for inspecting PPE's before use, reporting any damage or malfunction, and following proper hygiene and cleaning procedures.

4) Report all safety concerns immediately:

Employees are strictly responsible for reporting all kinds of health and safety issues they have identified in the workplace. Workers should immediately report the currently assigned safety personnel or a supervisor about the potential hazard or unsafe condition that they think may harm them. By doing this, employee's play a vital role in preventing accident because immediate report leads to the timely implementation of control. 

5) Report Accidents and Incidents: 

It's the responsibility of employee to report the accident, incident or near-miss immediately to the authority. Employees should provide detailed information about the accident, including the date, time, location, and circumstances which are surrounding the event. 

Additional Responsibilities of Employees for Managing Health and Safety at the workplace:

• Take part in Safety Training.
• Attend Tool Box Talk regularly.
• Follow the Site Rules.
• Keep the workplace clean and tidy.
• Co-operate with Safety Personnel's.
• Suggest Safety Improvement without hesitation.
• Participate in safety meetings.
• Do not make horse plays While working.
• Co-operate with Safety Inspections.
• Do not use unsafe path as a shortcut.
• Provide feedback to the management.
• Co-operate with management.
• Do not encourage mutual conflicts.
• Do not fight with other.
• Report each and every faulty equipment's.
• Do not use faulty equipment's.

Conclusion:

Health and safety responsibilities are a shared duty between employers and employees, with each playing a crucial role in fostering a safe working environment. While employers are tasked with establishing and maintaining safety protocols, employees must adhere to these guidelines and proactively contribute to workplace safety. By taking care of themselves and their colleagues, complying with safety instructions, using personal protective equipment accurately, and reporting safety concerns and incidents promptly, employees help prevent accidents and create a culture of safety. Additional responsibilities, such as participating in safety training, keeping the workplace tidy, and cooperating with safety personnel, further reinforce this commitment. Ultimately, a safe workplace is achieved through collective effort and a steadfast dedication to health and safety principles, as outlined by ILO Recommendation R164.

[Declaimer/Note: You can use this knowledge of Employee's Responsibilities in your NEBOSH IGC exam, but make sure that you apply this knowledge in your scenario. Do not just copy and paste in your exam.]

This blog is written by HSEWALA.

Hope this blog finds you well and informative. Thanks for visiting HSEWALA.

Regards: Rehan Waseem