The world of facilities management is dominated by legislation - in fact, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance is one of the core functions of FM. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the health and safety side of the job.
Be aware of these and you’ll be a long way down the road to ensuring that your organisation doesn’t end up on the wrong side of the law.
Of course, it’s not just about staying compliant. These regulations exist to ensure that your buildings are safe, healthy environments for your colleagues, customers and members of the public to use.
Be thankful that they exist, because the workplace would be a much grimmer place without them!
Click on each box for more details
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Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations
Focus mainly on the requirement for risk assessments to be undertaken, a function that is often undertaken by the Facilities Management department
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Manual Handling Regulations
Again, focuses on the need for risk assessments to be undertaken when lifting and moving any object where there is a risk of injury. Also covers the requirement for staff to be properly trained to carry out work that involves lifting heavy objects.
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Display Screen Equipment Regulations
Risk assessments must be undertaken on all workstations which might be used by DSE ‘users’ employed by the organisation.
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Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations
These regulations are key to Facilities Management and cover areas as diverse as maintenance, temperature, cleanliness, space, circulation and more.
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Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)
Focusses on the provision of safe equipment which is regularly maintained. Adequate lighting should be provided to allow for safe use.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations
Suitable PPE must be provided and risk assessments undertaken for the tasks which require the use of PPE
It is beyond the scope of this article to cover each of these items in detail, but suffice to say if any of the above regulations are unfamiliar to you, it would be advisable to research them as a matter of urgency.