Employees Responsibilities

Employees also have the following responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act:

• To take reasonable care of their own health and safety
• To take reasonable care not to put other people (fellow employees and members of the public) at risk by what they do or don't do in the course of their work
• To co-operate with employers, making sure they undertake training and understand and follow the company's health and safety policies or procedures
• Not to interfere with or misuse anything that's been provided for their health, safety or welfare
• To report any injuries, strains or illnesses they suffer as a result of doing their job, the employer may need to change the way the work is performed
• To tell their employer if something happens that might affect their ability to work, for example becoming pregnant or suffering an injury
• Those that drive or operate machinery, have a responsibility to tell their employers if they take medication that makes them drowsy or compromises their ability
• Tell your employer if you have a drug allergy which may restrict what you are able to handle or breathing problems such as asthma or COPD as these can be aggravated by powdered drugs that get into the atmosphere

Alongside this general advice we do all have to apply common sense when carrying out daily activities to avoid any accidents. For example, should a potential health and safety risk be noticed such as a piece of ripped carpet that may result in a trip hazard or a spillage on the floor, it is every employees responsibility to report this to their manager or act accordingly to remove the risk.

Consider presentation when at work such as appropriate footwear. As an example choosing to wear open-toed sandals at work presents the risk of something being dropped on the foot and resulting in an injury. Or if an individual wears jewellery such as a bracelet or long necklace in the pharmacy, this could potentially get caught in some machinery such as the shredding machine or on any protruding object such as a handle.