Amended Occupational Health and Safety Act
8. General duties of employers to their employees
8. General duties of employers to their employees
(1)
Every employer shall provide and maintain, as far as is reasonably
practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risk
to the health of his employees.
(2)
Without derogating from the generality of an employer's duties under
subsection (1), the matters to which those duties refer include in
particular-
(a) the provision and
maintenance of systems of work, plant and machinery that, as far as is
reasonably practicable, are safe and without risks to health;
(b) taking such steps as may be
reasonably practicable to eliminate or mitigate any hazard or potential
hazard to the safety or health of employees, before resorting to
personal protective equipment;
(c) making arrangements
for ensuring, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety and
absence of risks to health in connection with the production,
processing, use, handling, storage or transport of articles or
substances;
(d) establishing, as far as is
reasonably practicable, what hazards to the health or safety of persons
are attached to any work which is performed, any article or substance
which is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or transported and
any plant or machinery
which
is used in his business, and he shall, as far as is reasonably
practicable, further establish what precautionary measures should be
taken with respect to such work, article, substance, plant or machinery
in order to protect the health and safety of persons, and he shall
provide the necessary means to apply such precautionary measures;
(e) providing such information,
instructions, training and supervision as may be necessary to ensure,
as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of
his employees;
(f) as far as is
reasonably practicable, not permitting any employee to do any work or
to produce, process, use, handle, store or transport any article or
substance or to operate any plant or machinery, unless the
precautionary measures contemplated in paragraphs (b) and (d), or any
other precautionary measures which may be prescribed, have been
taken;
(g) taking all necessary
measures to ensure that tire requirements of this Act are complied with
by every person in his employment or on premises under his control
where plant or machinery is used;
(h) enforcing such measures as
may be necessary in the interest of health and safety;
(i) ensuring that
work is performed and that plant or machinery is used under the general
supervision of a person trained to understand the hazards associated
with it and who have the authority to ensure that precautionary
measures taken by the employer are implemented; and
(j) causing all
employees to be informed regarding the scope of their authority as
contemplated in section 37 (1) (b).
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