Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Textiles audit
Are there suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences provided?
b. Are they adequately ventilated and lit?
c. Are they clean and well maintained?
• Suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places. They should be adequately ventilated and lit, kept clean and maintained. More detailed guidance is given in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
a. Are suitable and sufficient washing facilities, including showers if required by the nature of the work, provided at readily accessible places?
b. Are they clean and well maintained?
• There should be a supply of clean running hot and cold water and, in addition, soap and clean towels or other suitable means of cleaning or drying: and the facilities should be conveniently accessible and should be kept in a clean and orderly condition.
• Showers should be provided for the use of persons at work where the work is of a particularly physical nature, or involves significant exposure to offensive materials, substances or organisms.
• The number of washing stations etc. should allow for maximum use without undue delay. More detailed guidance is given in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
a. Is an adequate supply of drinking water provided and maintained?
b. Is it clean and hygienic?
• An adequate supply of wholesome drinking water that is readily accessible shall be provided. More detailed guidance is given in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
a. Is suitable and sufficient accommodation provided for personal clothing not worn at work, and for special clothing worn at work but not taken home?
• What is suitable and sufficient depends on the work activities and the nature of the clothing. Spaced pegs may be suitable in an office. Workplaces, which do not afford adequate standards of cleanliness, dryness and freedom from atmospheric contamination, will require lockers, or a separate warm, dry, well-ventilated place where they can dry out. Where for the purposes of the job it is essential to wear protective clothing, overalls etc. some facilities for changing should be provided, with separate secure facilities for men and women where extensive changing is required.
• Where the nature of the work results in contamination of protective clothing, separate accommodation should be provided for both work clothing and outdoor clothing.
a. Is suitable and sufficient seating provided for all persons who, whilst at work, are able to sit without adversely affecting their work?
• Seating must be provided for all persons who are able to sit whilst at work without detriment to the proper performance of their work. This includes:
• Those whose duties include operations which can or must be done sitting. The seat must be suitable for the persons concerned, and a footrest provided if necessary.
a. Are suitable and sufficient rest facilities provided, including facilities for eating meals where meals are taken in the workplace?
• Rest facilities should be provided with adequate seating with backrests, and a table.
• Rest rooms and rest areas should include suitable arrangements to protect non-smokers from discomfort caused by tobacco smoke. This may be achieved by provision of separate areas or rooms for smokers and non-smokers, or by the prohibition of smoking in rest areas and rest rooms.
• Where employees regularly eat meals at work suitable facilities should be provided where they can be kept clean. Seats in work areas are only suitable if they are in a sufficiently clean place and have tables and chairs and there is access to hot drinks.
• Suitable facilities shall be provided for any person at work who is a pregnant woman or nursing mother to rest and, where necessary, to lie down. Such facilities should be conveniently situated in relation to sanitary facilities.
a. Does each person have an adequate amount of space?
• Each person should have 11 cu m of space. Calculation of the volume of a room should not take into account any part of the room that is 3.0 metres above the floor, or has headroom of less than 2.0 metres. Take account of the number of persons including visitors who may be in the room, the space occupied by furniture, plant and articles for use or storage.
a. Are workstations suitable for any persons likely to use them, including where appropriate persons with disabilities?
b. Do workstations provide protection from adverse weather, enable any person to leave swiftly and, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure that any person at the workstation does not slip?
• Each person at the workstation should have
adequate freedom of movement, be able to stand upright, reach
and lift materials with reasonable ease and operate controls
without risk to themselves or others.
• Where activities are carried out in unavoidably
cramped circumstances, sufficient space should be allowed in
the immediate vicinity.
a. Do you provide adequate First Aid facilities in the event of injury?
b. Do you have an appropriate number of trained First-Aiders?
c. Do you have 'appointed persons' when no First-Aiders are present?
d. Have you informed employees of the arrangements for first aid?
e. Have you a system of reporting injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences, which conforms to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995?
f. Do you have a responsible person who notifies, reports and records all events that are covered by the regulations?
g. Have you an adequate system of record keeping?
1. First Aid at Work - The Health and Safety (First Aid)
Regulations 1981, Approved Code of Practice and Guidance,
L74, HSE 1997, ISBN 07176 1050 0.
2. A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and
Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, L73, HSE 1999, ISBN 0
7176 2431 5
• The requirements are set out in Health and Safety
(First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and Guidance. In smaller
establishments there should be a sufficient number of
properly marked first-aid boxes with contents as specified in
the Guidance.
• These should be sited convenient to the workforce,
and soap, water and disposable drying materials should be
available. Larger sites may have a central, properly equipped
and identified, first-aid room with a suitable person in
charge and a notice on the door showing names and locations
of First-Aiders.
• The number of employees should not be regarded as the
only factor in deciding whether trained first-aiders are
needed and, if they were, how many would be appropriate. The
employer has to provide, as a minimum; an appointed person at
all times when employees are at work. In low risk situations,
such as offices, an employer will need one trained
first-aider if he has 50 employees, and in more hazardous
situations one for every 50 employees thereafter. Account
should be taken of whether there is shift working in deciding
numbers.
• First-Aid information should be included in any
induction programme, and all employees should be informed of
changes to arrangements. Notices should be conspicuous, and
in English and other languages if appropriate.
• A record of all First-Aid treatment should be kept,
giving name and address of injured person, occupation,
injury, date of entry, date and time of accident, accident
details, injury details and signature of person making
entry.
• The responsible person should keep a record of all
reportable accidents, dangerous occurrences and reportable
diseases.
• A record of reportable accidents may be kept in the
Social Security Accident Book Form B1 510, which has to be
kept for social security purposes.
Fatal accidents, major injury accidents/conditions and
dangerous occurrences must be reported by telephone
immediately to the Health and Safety Executive, and
subsequently by Form F2508 (revised) Accidents causing more
than three days off work must also be reported on Form F2508
(revised).
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, L24, HSE 1992, ISBN 0 7176 0413 6.