(the Management Regulations) generally make more explicit

what employers are required to do to manage health and

safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Like the

Act, they apply to every work activity.

The main requirement on employers is to carry out a risk

assessment. Employers with five or more employees need

to record the significant findings of the risk assessment.

Risk assessment should be straightforward in a simple

workplace such as a typical office. It should only be

complicated if it deals with serious hazards such as those

on a nuclear power station, a chemical plant, laboratory or

an oil rig.

The HSE leaflet Five steps to risk assessment will give you

more information.

Besides carrying out a risk assessment, employers also

need to:

make arrangements for implementing the health

and safety measures identified as necessary by the

risk assessment;

appoint competent people (often themselves or

company colleagues) to help them to implement

the arrangements;

set up emergency procedures;

provide clear information and training to employees;

work together with other employers sharing the

same workplace.

Other regulations require action in response to particular

hazards, or in industries where hazards are particularly

high. A list of the main regulations which apply generally

is in Appendix 1. Many are not qualified by `reasonable