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Employers have legal responsibilities to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. As an employee you have rights and you have responsibilities for your own wellbeing and that of your colleagues. This article explains what these responsibilities are, and how you can meet them. Show
Your rightsYour rights as an employee to work in a safe and healthy environment are given to you by law and generally can't be changed or removed by your employer. The most important of these rights are:
Your responsibilitiesYour most important responsibilities as an employee are:
Personal protective equipmentYour employer must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to you free of charge. You must use this correctly and follow the training and instruction you've been given. In some jobs, failure to use PPE properly can be grounds for disciplinary action or even dismissal. However, you can refuse to wear PPE if it puts your safety at risk, because it doesn't fit properly for example. Ask your employer or the firm's safety representative for the right size. Sikhs who wear turbans can legally refuse to wear head protection on religious grounds, but Sikhs who don't wear turbans must wear head protection.
What you should do if you have concernsIf you have concerns about health and safety at work, you should first of all discuss them with your employer or immediate boss. If you have a safety representative, they might be your first point of contact. If you have an employee representative, such as a trade union official, they may be able to help you as well. Your employer should not expose you to avoidable risks at work, and if you've pointed out risks without getting an answer, you can get confidential information and advice from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland freephone helpline. As a last resort, you can get in touch with HSENI inspectors. Health and safety inspectors have powers to enforce the law and if you take this course of action, your employer mustn't discipline you, or put you at a disadvantage in your job as a result. An example of this could be not paying you for the time you refused to work because of unsafe conditions or passing you over for promotion.
Where you can get helpThe Labour Relations Agency (LRA) and Advice NI offer free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues for residents of Northern Ireland. More useful links
Help improve this page - send your feedbackTell us more about the problem you're having with the nidirect website. What to do nextWhat is the current status of federal law in the US regarding health insurance?While health insurance is no longer required at the federal level, there is a possibility that you will face a tax penalty for not having adequate coverage if you live in a state that has an individual mandate. Right now, there are five states and one district where health insurance is required.
What is the role of an employee?Main Responsibilities of Employees
to personally do the work they were hired to do. to do their work carefully and seriously (In some cases, they could be fired or disciplined if they're often late for work, or if they're absent too often or for no good reason.) to avoid putting themselves or others in danger.
Do I have to tell my employer about medication UK?Medication and safety
When do you have to tell your employer about your medication? When applying for jobs, this is something you would have to decide. Employers can only ask during recruitment if this is something that would directly affect your ability to do the job, even if reasonable adjustments were made.
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