Safety Manual
Section No. /

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Health and Safety Legal and Other Requirements
Policy /
A4

Health and Safety Legal and Other Requirements

Policy

1.0POLICY

1.1This document details Nottinghamshire County Council’s Policy in relation to health and safety legal and other requirements. It is supplemented by guidance notes and other policy and guidance documents contained within the County Council’s Safety Manual.

1.2The Corporate Health and Safety Policy Statement states a commitment to take all reasonable steps to ensure a health and safety management system is developed and maintained which complies with the law on health, safety and welfare and any relevant Regulations, approved codes of practice and guidance.

1.3The County Council will ensure arrangements are in place for identifying and accessing legal and other occupational health and safety requirements that are applicable to our organisation and activities.

1.4Employees of the County Council will ensure that relevant legal and other requirements to which the County Council subscribes are taken into account in establishing, implementing and maintaining our occupational health and safety management system.

1.5Employees will also aim to communicate relevant information on legal and other requirements to persons working under the control of the County Council and other relevant interested parties.

2.0ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1Due to the diverse functions of the County Council, the Health and Safety Team will produce and maintain a register of the main Statutes and Regulations applicable to the County Council. This register is contained within the guidance notes which supplement this document.

2.2Other applicable legislation, approved codes of practice, guidance notes or good practice publications are referred to within specific subject guidance documents contained in the County Council’s Safety Manual (under ‘Legal Requirements’ and ‘References’)

2.3It is the expectation that where legal and other requirements apply to particular operational activities, local arrangements are in place forthe identifying, accessing, updating and communicating these additional requirements.

2.4It is the primary responsibility of the Health and Safety Team to keep abreast of new or changed health and safety legislation and amend the legal register accordingly.

2.5The Health and Safety Team will ensure new or changed legislation is published on the County Council’s intranet website and is referred to within the health and safety quarterly newsletter.

2.6Where necessary, the Health and Safety Team will either incorporate changes into existing policy and guidance documents, or a new policy and guidance document will be produced where no procedure exists.

2.7Lead Principal Advisers for a specific department are responsible for communicating any new or changed health and safety legislation via the Departmental Risk, Safety and Emergency Management Teams.

3.0LEGAL FRAMEWORK

3.1The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to have access to competent help in applying the provisions of health and safety law.

4.0REFERENCES

BS 18004 : 2008 Guide to Achieving Effective Occupational Health and Safety Performance.

5.0DOCUMENT HISTORY

Document Owner: / Health and Safety Team
Document Originators: / Karen Thornton, Principal Health and Safety Adviser
Working Party Members: /
N/A
Trade Union Consultation: / Date: 02/10
Document agreed by HRSMG / Date: 01/10
Document agreed by HRMT / Date: 01/10
Document agreed by RSEMB: / Date: 03/10
Document History: / First Issued :02/06/10.
Location of Current Version: / Safety Manual : Policy and Guidance
Health and Safety Intranet web-site

Copies of this guidance can be made available in various formats e.g. Tape, Large print and Braille.
Issue No. 1
Revision No. / 1 of 3 / Date of issue: 02/06/10