at Operational Incidents
A Fire Service Guide
Pamphlet
|
| Dynamic Management of Risk at Operational Incidents A Fire Service Guide Pamphlet |
| There are moral, economic and legal reasons for the Fire Service to take the management of health and safety seriously. | ||
| MORAL |
As caring employers, brigades want to ensure the safety of
their employees at all times. As professional bodies, brigades aim to discharge their duties to the community to the highest possible standards at all times. | |
| ECONOMIC |
Good health and safety management is always cost
effective. The time and money invested in safety is always
outweighed by the savings in legal costs, compensation
and the need to replace equipment. | |
| LEGAL |
Fire authorities, in common with other employers, have
many legal duties in respect of safety. The most relevant
to this document are those imposed by Sections 2 and 3
of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and
Regulations 3 and 4 of the Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations, 1992. These require employers
to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health,
safety and welfare of employees and others affected by
their work activities. In order to achieve this, they must
carry out and record suitable and sufficient risk assessments,
then implement the control measures necessary to ensure
an acceptable level of safety. Both the risk assessments
and the control measures must be regularly monitored and
reviewed to confirm their continuing validity. Employees have a legal duty to take care of their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. They must also co-operate with their employer in health and safety matters. | |
| *'employer' can, depending upon circumstances, mean anyone responsible for the work of
others. | ||
| *'so far as is reasonably practicable' means that the degree of risk in a particular activity can be balanced against the time, trouble, cost and physical difficulty of taking measures to avoid the risk. The greater the risk, the more likely it is that it is reasonable to go to very substantial expense, trouble and invention to reduce it. | ||
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