How does the Health and Safety at Work Act protect me?
Your employer has a duty to “ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees”. This means that they have to carry out a risk assessment of all workers’ activities, including the additional risks to certain groups of workers such as disabled people. If your employer thinks that there is a specific health and safety risk involved in employing you, then, under the DDA, reasonable adjustments need to be considered. What can I expect from a risk assessment? The quality of the risk assessment is critical and your employer may need to use specialist staff. The assessment must: • focus on you as an individual • not make assumptions • consider the facts • consider the essential elements of your job • identify the length of time/frequency of any hazardous situations • get individual specific medical advice • consult you about how reasonable adjustments can be made • look at any reasonable adjustment to reduce the risk. If there is still an “unac
