Who's responsible for health and safety on the job?

To put it simply, everyone. Health and safety is the responsibility of everyone present on the job. It's up to the whole team to look out for each other.

As an employer, you need to be informed, and inform your workers about the hazards within your specific working environment. A building site will have different hazards from a childcare centre.

If you’re hiring people, you’re responsible for taking all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure the safety of those employees while they’re at work.

Basic requirements

Employers are required to provide the following facilities:

• Toilets
• Hand-washing facilities
• Means of leaving the place of work in an emergency
• First-aid facilities
• Facilities for lighting
• Ventilation with fresh or purified air
• Means for controlling humidity
• Means for controlling atmospheric conditions
• Facilities to enable atmospheric conditions to be controlled
• Facilities for treating and carrying off any atmospheric contaminants
• Facilities for meal breaks in reasonable shelter and comfort that are separate from any plant or materials used in the workplace
• Drinking water
• Place of work to be clean and hygienic

You'll also need to:

• Provide and maintain facilities for employee’s Health and Safety while they're at work
• Ensure that the workspace is arranged, designed, made, and maintained in a way that it's safe for the employee to use
• Provide and maintain a safe working environment for employees
• Ensure that while at work employees aren't exposed to hazards arising out of the arrangement, disposal, manipulation, organisation, processing, storage, transport, working, or use of things: a) in their place of work; or b) near their place of work and under the employer’s control.
• Develop procedures for dealing with emergencies that may arise while employees are at work
   

The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 is available here.

Household employers

If you’re hiring someone to work in and around your home then many of the points above won’t apply. So here's a list of the basics you're expected to provide:

• Toilets
• Hand-washing facilities
• Means of leaving the place of work in an emergency
• At least some basic first-aid facilities
• If they're using paints or sprays that could be hazardous to their health, ventilation with fresh or purified air is provided or a protective breathing mask
• Drinking water
• Facilities for meal breaks in reasonable shelter and comfort
   

Jobs students can't do

Some jobs are deemed too difficult, costly, or dangerous for a student to do (E.G. arborist work, or jobs that require a trade certification like plumbing, drain laying, electrical work, gas fitting, and some types of construction). In these cases, we’ll direct you to the places you can find the appropriate, professional help.

Get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns about Health and Safety and we’ll be happy to help.