Safety First: Health and Safety Legislation in Scientific Organizations

• Physiology
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Safety First: Health and Safety Legislation in Scientific Organizations

Learning Objective

Understand the application of health and safety legislation in scientific organizations and the consequences of non-compliance.

What do you already know about health and safety legislation in scientific organizations?

Health and Safety at Work Legislation

Includes management of health and safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), use and control of hazardous substances, manual handling operations, and display screen regulations.

Cable running across the floor

Slips, trips and falls are the most common injuries in the workplace, accounting for 30% of all injuries in the UK. Make sure your employer is taking the correct steps to stay safe by ensuring your office is free from tripping hazards.

Falling objects

Items falling from overstocked shelves can be a reason for injuries to the head, causing more than a headache for the employer! A general risk assessment will look at storage in the workplace to identify any risks from falling objects and give recommendations to reduce them.

Slip hazards from leak/spillage

Employers have a duty to make sure that anyone using the workplace is safe from harm, including conducting a risk assessment of slips and trips in the office. Conducting an office risk assessment will identify any potential dangers in the workplace so that they can be removed before they cause harm.

Handbag blocking fire exit

Organisations should ensure the safety of their employees by having a trained staff member responsible for assessing and reducing the risks of fire. As part of this fire risk assessment, fire exits must always be easily accessible. Additionally, staff should be trained to make sure that nothing is blocking the fire exits in case of an emergency, helping ensure that everyone can exit quickly and safely.

OVerloaded Plug Socket

Never overload an extension lead by plugging in appliances that will exceed the maximum current allowed. This could cause the plug in the wall socket to overheat, posing a fire risk in the office. Taking an Electrical Safety First course can help you understand the dangers of overloaded plug sockets.

Lifting boxes with bad posture

Handling, lifting and carrying items are the second most common cause of injury in the workplace. You can avoid back injury by taking a Manual Handling Awareness training course to learn practical techniques for lifting and carrying heavy objects.

Only one foot on ladder

Falls from heights are the third-highest cause of fatal injury in the workplace, so if you are planning on using ladders, make sure that your employer has trained you in working at heights.

Employee slumped in computer chair

We’ve all hit that 3pm slump, but bad posture can cause a whole range of problems in the long term including neck and back pain, muscle strain, and joint damage. Ensuring everyone in the office has had a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment will help reduce potential harm from poor posture.

Spillages

Slips, trips and falls! 

Throwing objects

This is bad and unsafe. Do not do!!!

Management of Health and Safety

As an employer, you are responsible for managing health and safety in your business. This includes managing risks and taking practical steps to protect workers and others from harm.

Managing risk is just one part of health and safety management. You must also have arrangements in place to:

* Make the right plans

* Implement those plans

* Check they are working

* Act if they are not

The five steps to risk assessment

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

Explore the regulations for the classification, labelling, and packaging of hazardous substances. 

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

1. Classification:

Objective: To identify the hazards of chemicals and classify them based on their intrinsic properties.

Criteria: Chemicals are classified into hazard classes such as explosives, flammables, corrosives, toxins, etc.

Harmonization: GHS provides criteria for classification that are consistent globally.

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

2. Labelling:

Objective: To convey essential information about the hazards of a chemical.

Elements: GHS labels include pictograms, signal words (such as "Danger" or "Warning"), hazard statements, precautionary statements, and the product identifier.

Consistency: Labels follow a standardized format, making them recognizable globally.

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

3. Packaging:

Objective: To ensure that the packaging of hazardous substances is appropriate and safe for transportation.

Requirements: GHS specifies packaging standards to prevent leaks, spills, and other potential hazards during transportation.

Uniformity: Packaging regulations are designed to be consistent worldwide.

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

4. Safety Data Sheets (SDS):

Objective: To provide detailed information about a chemical's properties, hazards, and safe use.

Content: SDS includes information on the chemical's composition, first-aid measures, fire-fighting measures, accidental release measures, and more.

Accessibility: Employers are required to make SDS readily accessible to employees.

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

5. Adoption by Countries:

International Adoption: GHS has been adopted by numerous countries, either fully or in part, to ensure a consistent approach to hazard communication.

Local Regulations: Some countries may have specific regulations that align with GHS but include additional requirements.

Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulations

6. Responsibilities:

Manufacturers and Importers: Responsible for classifying chemicals and providing appropriate labels and SDS.

Employers: Responsible for ensuring that workplace chemicals are properly labelled, and SDS are available to employees.

Transportation: Compliance with packaging standards for the safe transport of hazardous substances.

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences

Understand the procedures for reporting injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences in the workplace.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/ 

Spend 5 minutes having a look at the above link before answering a question. 

Name the types of reportable Injury

The death of any person

Specified injuries to workers

The list of 'specified injuries' in RIDDOR 2013 replaces the previous list of 'major injuries' in RIDDOR 1995. Specified injuries are (regulation 4):

fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes

amputations

any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight

any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs

serious burns (including scalding) which:

covers more than 10% of the body

causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs

any scalping requiring hospital treatment

any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia

any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which:

leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness

requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

Over-seven-day incapacitation of a worker

Over-three-day incapacitation

Non fatal accidents to non-workers (eg members of the public)

Occupational diseases

Dangerous occurrences

Gas incidents

Health and Safety Policy

Scrutinize examples of health, safety, and environmental policies in the workplace, then answer some questions: 

https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/index.htm 

Which is a measure to ensure workplace environmental sustainability?

1. Ignoring pollution control measures
2. Disregarding wildlife protection
3. Reducing energy consumption through efficient practices
4. Using harmful chemicals without caution

How can the workplace promote health and safety?

1. Not providing first aid kits
2. Ignoring employee concerns
3. Regular health and safety inspections
4. Disregarding safety regulations

What is an example of an environmental policy in the workplace?

1. Implementing recycling programs
2. Using non-renewable resources excessively
3. Ignoring energy efficiency
4. Disposing of waste irresponsibly

Which is a safety policy commonly seen in the workplace?

1. Regular safety training for employees
2. Encouraging reckless behavior
3. Ignoring equipment maintenance
4. Not providing protective gear

What is an example of a health policy in the workplace?

1. Ignoring employee wellbeing
2. Providing ergonomic workstations
3. Allowing smoking indoors
4. Serving unhealthy snacks

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Explore the potential repercussions of not complying with health and safety legislation.

What are the consequences of not complying with health and safety legislation?

Interactive Activity: Case Studies

Engage in group discussions on hypothetical case studies related to health and safety in scientific organizations.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/leadership/resources/casestudies.htm 

Role-Play: Health and Safety Scenarios

Participate in role-playing exercises to simulate health and safety scenarios in a scientific workplace.

Quiz: Health and Safety Legislation

The following quiz will test understanding on key aspects of health and safety legislation in scientific organizations.

Which legislation governs the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in scientific organizations?

1. Employment Rights Act
2. Waste Management Regulations
3. Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations
4. Building Regulations

What should employees do to comply with health and safety legislation?

1. Blame others for safety issues
2. Ignore safety protocols for efficiency
3. Follow all safety procedures and report hazards
4. Refuse to use safety equipment

What is the responsibility of employers under health and safety legislation?

1. To prioritize profit over employee well-being
2. To provide a safe working environment and suitable training
3. To avoid all workplace accidents
4. To limit access to safety equipment

Which legislation is concerned with hazardous substances in scientific organizations?

1. Food Safety Act
2. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations
3. Clean Air Act
4. Noise at Work Regulations

What is the purpose of health and safety legislation in scientific organizations?

1. To protect the well-being of employees and the public
2. To reduce company expenses
3. To increase production efficiency
4. To promote environmental sustainability

Review and Recap

Key points covered in the lesson 

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.