Health and safety representatives have the responsibility to make and manage risk assessments.

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Roles and Responsibilities

Health and safety representatives:

Making risk assessments: Health and safety representatives have the responsibility to make and manage risk assessments. They are responsible for educating employees of the surgery to ensure they recognise both hidden and more obvious health and safety issues, and keeping them at the top of workplace and branch agendas. Risk assessments are a legal requirement for businesses with five or more employees to do. The level of detail in a risk assessment should be proportionate to the risk and appropriate to the nature of the work. For example they would visit the doctor’s surgery, assess the areas that are required to have a risk assessment, and either makes a risk assessment or check and analyse one that has already been made.

For example, in a doctor's surgery, the health and safety representative would be required to carry out risk assessments on all areas of the building necessary, and analyse and minimise any risks. They would also be required to regularly check the risk assessments are up to date and that the control measures are being put into practice in the correct way, e.g. that the cupboard in the waiting room is always kept locked when not in use, and that the magazine rack is kept tidy.

Working with others to ensure health, safety and security: Health and safety representatives have the responsibility to encourage engagement between themselves, employees, employers, outside organisations etc. to discuss how issues can be solved. They can work in partnership with other organisations and employees/managers/employers to ensure positive outcomes when dealing with potential health and safety issues in the surgery.

For example, in a doctor's surgery, the health and safety representative would hold regular, for example monthly, meetings to engage with other employees and outside organisations to discuss how control measures are being put into place and analyse whether any of the staff need any extra training.

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Employees:

Following organisational safety and security procedures: Employees have the responsibility to follow the health and safety regulations set by their employer, to ensure they take care of their own health and safety whilst in the workplace, take care of others ' health and safety (co-workers and/or service users), to follow training they have been given and to co-operate with others to ensure health and safety legislations are adhered to and regulation standards are met.

For example, in a doctor's surgery, this could be the receptionist following the evacuation procedures in the event of a fire, ...

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