Research clinic: Health and Safety

What health and safety duties apply to research organisations?

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW Act) and the Management of Health & Safety at Work (MHSW) Regulations 1999, Employers have responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees and the health and safety of those affected by the work, e.g. visitors, such as contractors and self-employed people who employers may engage. These responsibilities cannot be transferred to people who work alone. It is the employer's duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control risk where necessary. Employees and workers have responsibilities to take reasonable care of themselves and other people affected by their work and to co-operate with their employers in meeting their legal obligations.

How should risk be assessed?

According to the Health and Safety Executive, there are five steps to risk assessment:

Identify the hazards
Decide who might be harmed and how
Evaluate the risks and decide on precaution
Record your findings and implement them
Review your assessment and update if necessary

A hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, an open drawer etc. The risk is the chance, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by these and other hazards, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be.

What are the typical hazards faced by research interviewers?

Hazards may vary from project to project but employers should consider the following list:

Increased exposure to risks of everyday life
Physical/verbal threat or abuse
Psychological trauma, as a result of actual or threatened violence, either verbal or physical
Being in a compromising situation, in which there might be accusations of improper behaviour
Manual handling & repetitive strain injuries from carrying and using lap top computers

Measures that could reduce or eliminate the risk of these hazards may include training, supervision and adequate instruction.

For further information on risk assessment, visit the Health and Safety Executive website www.hse.gov.uk

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