OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW TEXT AND MATERIALS second edition

The authors would like to thank the European Agency for Safety and Healthat Work, the Health and Safety Executive, the New Law Journal, the Sheffield Information Centre, HSE and the Inst

AND SAFETY LAW:

TEXT AND MATERIALS

Second Edition

Cavendish Publishing Limited

CPCavendish Publishing LimitedCPLondon • Sydney

AND SAFETY LAW:

TEXT AND MATERIALS

Second Edition

Professor Brenda Barrett MA, PhD, Barrister

Professor of Law, Middlesex University Business School,

Middlesex University

Professor Richard Howells LLB, LLM, PhD

Emeritus Professor of Law, Westminster University

Cavendish Publishing LimitedCPLondon • Sydney

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7278 8000 Facsimile: +44 (0)20 7171 278 8080 Email: info@cavendishpublishing.com

Barrett, Brenda

Occupational health and safety law: text and materials – 2nd ed

1 Industrial safety – Law and legislation – Great Britain – Cases

2 Industrial hygiene – Law and legislation – Great Britain – Cases

I Title II Howells, Richard III Cases and materials on occupational health and safety law

344.4'1'0465

ISBN 1 85941 560 1

Printed and bound in Great Britain

The authors would like to thank the European Agency for Safety and Health

at Work, the Health and Safety Executive, the New Law Journal, the Sheffield

Information Centre, HSE and the Institute of Employment Rights for giving permission to reproduce materials in this book.

Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

The primary purpose of this text is to assist students of occupational health and safety law It is believed that this book will appeal to both undergraduate and postgraduate students who have an interest in this area In addition, it may prove to be a useful reference text for practitioners of safety management, though the latter may wish to use it as a preliminary to more detailed study of the particular topic they are researching.

The text draws heavily on legislation and law reports, but some references

to other materials are made when this has seemed to the authors to be an appropriate way of developing, explaining or commenting on the legal materials

The presentation is thematic Accident prevention and accident compensation are both covered and this in itself suggests two major themes – namely, the respective roles of the criminal and the civil law in encouraging the operation of safe systems at the workplace Within these themes, the role

of the European Union, the UK Parliament and the European and UK courts

of law have to be accommodated The thematic approach dictates that individual extracts from source materials are relatively short, although, within the covers of the book, much of the major relevant law will be found

The complex nature of the relationships between England, the UK and the European Union have to be kept clearly in view by the lawyer This text is written from the viewpoint of English lawyers, but the English lawyer cannot,

in the 21st century, ignore the impact of the European Union on English law The authors have tried to indicate whether Acts of Parliament or decided cases are relevant to the whole, or only parts of, the UK.

The law set out in the text is, unless otherwise indicated, the law in force in June 2000 Sometimes the authors have referred to interpretations of laws no longer directly relevant, because there is, in their view, a principle embedded

in that law which is still relevant today On occasions it has seemed pertinent

to draw attention to laws which, at the time of going to press, were only in draft.

Note: following a recent review of procedure in civil litigation, the person

who initiates litigation is no longer referred to as a ‘plaintiff’ The person who sues is now named a ‘claimant’ The new terminology is used by the authors when explaining the law but, inevitably, the old terminology has to be retained when citing cases decided before the introduction of the new language.

BNB RWLH June 2000

Acknowledgments v

1 Introduction: The Concept of Risk Management 1

PART I – CIVIL LIABILITY

2 The Background to the Modern Civil Law 33

3 The Framework of Civil Liability Today 51

4 Liability for Personal Injury 1: Duty of Care in

5 Liability for Personal Injury 2: Breach of Duty 111

6 Liability for Common Law Negligence: Damage 135

7 Civil Liability for Breach of Statutory Duty 157

8 Civil Liability: Defences, Quantum and Extinction of Liability 191

PART II – CRIMINAL LIABILITY

9 The Framework for Prevention of Workplace Injuries 219

10 The Regulatory System in Great Britain 257

12 Regulations Relevant to Occupational Health and Safety 361

ADDENDUM

14 The Role of the European Union 463

Aitchison v Howard Doris Ltd 1979 SLT 22 315, 316

Admiralty Comrs v SS Volute [1922] 1 AC 129 196

Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1992] 1 AC 310; [1991] 4 All ER 907 98–101, 103 Allen v Avon Rubber Co Ltd [1986] ICR 695 55

Amalgamated Engineering Union v Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance [1963] 1 WLR 441 60

Anderson v Bank of British Columbia [1876] 2 Ch D 644 213

Andrews v DPP [1937] AC 576 233

Archibald v Plean Colliery Co Ltd (1924) SC (JC) 77 183

Atkinson v NE Railway Co [1926] 1 KB 313 175

Baker v Willoughby [1970] AC 467 150, 153–55 Belhaven Brewery Co Ltd v A McClean (HM Inspector of Factories) [1975] IRLR 370 292

Benmax v Austin Motor Co Ltd [1955] 2 WLR 418 75

Billingham v Hughes [1955] 2 QB 338 200

Black v Fife Coal Co [1912] AC 149 48

Blee v London and North Eastern Railway Co [1937] 4 All ER 270; [1938] AC 126 71

Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co (1856) 11 Ex 781 111

Bolton and Others v Stone [1951] 1 AC 850 9, 11, 113 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council v Malrod Insulations Ltd (1993) IRLR 274 317

Bonnington Castings Ltd v Wardlaw [1956] 1 All ER 615 141, 145 Boyle v Kodak Ltd [1969] 2 All ER 439 169

Braham v Lyons & Co Ltd [1962] 1 WLR 1048 182

British Aircraft Corporation Ltd v Austin [1978] IRLR 332 453, 454 British Transport Commission v Gourley [1956] AC 185 200 Bunker v Charles Brand & Son Ltd [1969] 2 QB 480 128, 196 Bux v Slough Metals Ltd [1974] 1 All ER 262 92, 119, 169

Callaghan v Fred Kidd & Son (Engineers) Ltd

[1944] KB 560, 565 181–83Carmarthenshire CC v Lewis [1955] AC 549 74Carroll v Andrew Barclay & Sons Ltd [1948] AC 477 169, 172, 173Cassidy v Ministry of Health [1951] 2 KB 343 73, 131Caswell v Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Ltd

[1940] AC 152 192Cavanagh v Ulster Weaving Co Ltd [1959] 2 All ER 745 63, 117Chadwick v British Transport Commission

[1967] 1 All ER 945; [1967] 1 WLR 912 98, 100, 101, 104Chalmers v Speedwell Wire Co Ltd (1942) SC (JC) 42 183Chrysler UK Ltd v McCarthy [1978] ICR 939 293, 298Clay v AJ Crump & Sons Ltd [1964] 1 QB 533 95Close v Steel Co of Wales Ltd

[1961] 2 All ER 953; [1962] AC 367 55Coltman v Bibby Tankers Ltd [1988] AC 276 80, 185–88Coltness Iron Co v Sharp [1938] AC 90 176Commission v United Kingdom (Safeguarding of

Employees’ Rights in the Event of Transfers of

Undertakings); Commission v United Kingdom

(Collective Redundancies) [1994] IRLR 412 484Conway v Rimmer [1968] AC 910 214

Davie v New Merton Board Mills and Another

[1959] AC 604 77, 79, 89, 185, 186, 188DPP v Kent and Sussex Contractors Ltd [1944] KB 146 224Donno v British Railways Board 1964 SLT (Notes) 108 182Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 45, 61, 82, 89, 90, 92, 95, 96Dooley v Cammell Laird & Co [1951] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 271 104Dulieu v White & Sons [1901] 2 KB 669 98, 147Duncan v Smith and Phillips 1965 SLT (Notes) 16 183

Edwards v National Coal Board [1949] 1 KB 704 169, 176–80European Commission v UK [1997] All ER (EC) 481 486

Foster v British Gas [1991] IRLR 268 485

Francovich v Italian Republic [1992] IRLR 84 434, 488 Frost v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police See White v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police— General Cleaning Contractors Ltd v Christmas [1953] AC 180, [1952] 2 All ER 1110 94, 120, 128 Gibson v East Riding of Yorkshire DC (1999) The Times, 12 February 434

Gold v Essex CC [1942] 2 KB 293 .73

Grant v Downs (1976) 135 CLR 674 214

Grant v Sun Shipping Co Ltd [1948] AC 549 195

Great North of England Railway Co Case (1846) 9 QB 315 224

Griffen and Others v South West Water Services Ltd [1995] IRLR 15 485

Griffiths v Kerkemeyer [1977] 51 ALJR 792 211

Grovehurst Energy Ltd v Strawson (1990) COIT 5035/90 290

Groves v Wimborne (Lord) [1898] 2 QB 402 41, 158 Haigh v Charles W Ireland Ltd [1973] 3 All ER 1137 185, 186 Hale v London Underground (1996) CLR 1569 131

Hall v Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd [1964] SC (HL) 72 181

Harris v Evans and HSE [1998] 1 WLR 1285 298

Harris v Select Timber Frame Ltd Case No 59214/93; (1994) 222 Health and Safety Information Bulletin 16 446

Harrison v Metropolitan Plywood Co [1946] KB 255 175

Harwood v Wyken Colliery Co [1913] 2 KB 158 151, 153 Hassall v Secretary of State for Social Security; Pether v Same [1995] 1 WLR 812 203

Haversham Grange, The [1905] P 307 152

Haynes v Qualcast (Wolverhampton) Ltd [1958] 1 All ER 441 120 Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd

[1964] AC 465 95, 97, 299

Hillyer v St Bartholomew’s Hospital [1909] 2 KB 820 74Hindle v Birtwistle [1897] 1 QB 192;

[1991] IRLR 118 105, 108, 125John Summers & Sons Ltd

v Frost [1955] 1 All ER 870; [1955] AC 740 55, 172Joseph Smith (Pauper) v Charles Baker & Sons

[1891] AC 325 38, 39

Kerr v Nathan’s Wastesavers Ltd [1995] IRLIB 530 458Kinder v Camberwell Corporation

[1944] 2 All ER 315; (1944) 42 LGR 317 175King v Smith and Another [1995] ICR 339 121, 128Knowles v Liverpool CC [1993] IRLR 588 80, 169, 185

Lane v Shire Roofing (Oxford) Ltd [1995] IRLR 493 415Laszczyk v National Coal Board [1954] 1 WLR 1426 193Latimer v AEC Ltd [1953] AC 643 94, 113Livingstone v Rawyards Coal Co [1880] 5 App Cas 25 200Lochgelly Iron and Coal Co v M’Mullan [1934] AC 1 47, 48, 81London Graving Dock Co Ltd v Horton [1951] AC 737 61, 62, 129

McArdle v Andmac Roofing Co and Others

[1967] 1 All ER 583 8, 82, 85

McArthur v British Railways Board (1968) 6 KIR 40 122

McCarthy v Coldair Ltd (1951) 2 TLR 1226 182

McDermid v Nash Dredging and Reclamation Co Ltd [1987] 1 AC 908 106, 108 McFarlane v EE Caledonia [1994] 2 All ER 1 99, 103 McGhee v National Coal Board [1972] 3 All ER 1008 143

McKew v Holland & Hannen & Cubitts (Scotland) Ltd [1969] 3 All ER 1621 148

McLoughlin v O’Brian [1983] AC 410 98

McWilliams v Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd [1962] 1 WLR 295 139

Mailer v Austin Rover Group plc [1989] 2 All ER 1087 10, 55, 346 Mains v Uniroyal Englebert Tyres Ltd (1995) The Times, 29 September 184

Marshall v Gotham Co Ltd [1952] 2 All ER 1044 177, 182, 184 Matthews v Kuwait Bechtel Corp [1959] 2 QB 57 108

Mersey Docks and Harbour Board v Coggins & Griffith (Liverpool) Ltd and Another [1947] AC 1 65, 73, 76 Miller v William Boothman & Sons Ltd [1944] KB 337 175

Moore v Bresler [1944] 2 All ER 551 224

Morton v Wm Dixon Ltd (1909) SC 808 118

Mughal v Reuters Ltd [1993] IRLR 571 135

Murray Wright’s Case [1970] NZLR 476 228

National Coal Board v England [1954] 1 All ER 546 181

Nicholas v FJ Sparkes & Son [1945] KB 309 67

Nicholls v F Austin (Leyton) Ltd [1946] AC 493 172, 174 Nimmo v Alexander Cowan & Sons Ltd [1968] AC 107 180

Nolan v Dental Manufacturing Co Ltd [1958] 2 All ER 449 120

Norris v Syndic Manufacturing Co [1952] 2 QB 135 318

Northern Strip Mining Co Ltd (1965) The Times, 5 February 226

Ogwo v Taylor [1988] 1 AC 431 127, 129, 131Oliver v Ashram [1962] 2 QB 210 209, 210O’Reilly v Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd

[1955] 3 All ER 382 63Osborne v Bill Taylor of Huyton Ltd [1982] ICR 168 321Overseas Tankship (UK) Ltd v Morts Docks and

Engineering Co Ltd (The Wagon Mound)

[1961] AC 388 146, 147

P&O European Ferries (Dover) Ltd

(1991) 93 Cr App R 72 227Page v Smith [1996] AC 155 102Paris v Stepney Borough Council [1951] AC 367 115, 116Performance Cars Ltd v Abraham [1962] 1 QB 33 152Pickett (Administratrix of the Estate of Ralph

Henry Pickett (Decd)) v British Rail Engineering

Ltd [1980] AC 136 208, 211Pickford v Imperial Chemical Industries plc

[1988] 1 WLR 1181 138Piggott Bros & Co Ltd v Jackson and Others

[1991] IRLR 309 455Polemis and Furness Withey & Co, Re [1921] 3 KB 560 146, 147Pope v Murphy & Son Ltd [1961] 1 QB 222 210

P Pagano v HGS [1976] IRLR 11 451Priestley v Fowler (1837) 3 M & W 1 34, 37, 57

R v Gateway Ford Markets Ltd [1997] 3 All ER 78 337

R v Great Western Trains Co (1999) LTL 8/1/99 229

R v HM Coroner for East Kent ex p Spooner

(1989) 88 Cr App R 10 227

R v Holloway [1993] 3 WLR 927 232

R v Howe (Engineers) Ltd [1999] 2 All ER 249 304

R v ICR Haulage Ltd (1944) KB 146 224

R v Lawrence (Stephen) [1982] AC 510 223, 233, 234 R v Mara [1987] IRLR 154 324, 331 R v Morgan [1991] Crim LR 214 231

R v Nelson Group Services Ltd (Maintenance) [1998] 4 All ER 331 .332, 333, 336 R v Pearce [1966] 3 All ER 618 238

R v Prentice See R v Holloway— R v Rollco Screw and Rivet Co Ltd and Others (1999) The Times, 29 April 307

R v Secretary of State ex p Factortame [1990] 3 CMLR 867 488

R v Secretary of State for Employment ex p National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shot-Firers (1993) Co/2576/93 268

R v Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd and Telemeter Installations Ltd [1981] IRLR 403 311, 313, 319, 417 Ralston v Greater Glasgow Health Board 1987 SLT 386 187

Read v J Lyons & Co Ltd [1947] AC 156 52, 113 Readmans Ltd v Leeds CC (1992) COD 419 291

Ready Mixed Concrete (South East) Ltd v Minister of Pensions and National Insurance [1968] 2 QB 497 58

Rex v Pittwood (1902) 19 TLR 37 230

Richardson v Pitt-Stanley and Others [1995] 2 WLR 26 167

RMC Roadstone Products Ltd v Jester [1994] IRLR 330 326, 331 Robertson and Rough v Forth Bridge Joint Board [1995] IRLR 251 104

Roe v Ministry of Health [1954] 2 QB 66 11, 112, 113 Roles v Nathan [1963] 1 WLR 1117 126

Rose v Plenty and Another [1972] 1 WLR 141 68

Rothwell v Caverswall Stone Co Ltd [1944] 2 All ER 350 151

Rudd v Elder Dempster & Co [1933] 1 KB 566 48

Salmon v Seafarer Restaurants Ltd [1983] 1 WLR 1264 131

Savory v Holland & Hannen & Cubitts (Southern) Ltd [1964] 3 All ER 18 62, 65 Scott v London and St Katherine Docks Co (1865) 3 H & C 596 132

Skelton v Collins (1960) 115 CLR 94 210, 211 Smith v Baker [1891] AC 325 62, 87, 128, 196 Smith v Linskills [1966] 1 WLR 764 301

Smith v Leech Brain & Co Ltd [1962] 2 WLR 148 146

Smith v Stages and Another [1989] 1 All ER 834 69, 76 Smiths Industries Aerospace and Defence Systems v Rawling [1996] IRLR 656 446

Stallite Batteries Co Ltd v Appleton and Hopkinson (1988) 147 Health and Safety Information Bulletin 460

Stapley v Gypsum Mines Ltd [1953] 2 All ER 478 192, 194, 197, 198 Stark v Post Office (2000) LTR 2/3/2000 172

Stokes v Guest, Keen and Nettlefold (Bolts and Nuts) Ltd (GKN) [1968] 1 WLR 1776 88, 89, 112 Taylor v Alidair Ltd [1978] IRLR 82 449

Taylor v Coalite Oil and Chemicals Ltd (1967) KIR 315 334

Tesco Stores Ltd v Kippax (1990) COIT 7605–6/90 290

Tesco Supermarkets Ltd v Nattrass [1972] AC 153 224–26, 332–34, 357 Thomas v Quartermaine (1887) 18 QBD 685 40

Trott v WE Smith (Erectors) Ltd [1957] 1 WLR 1154 182

UK v EU Council [1996] All ER (EC) 877 434

Walker v Northumberland CC [1995] IRLR 35 105, 122, 433 Walker v Wabco Automotive UK Ltd (1999) LTL 11/5/99 280

Walpole v Partridge and Wilson [1994] 1 QB 106 301

Watt v Hertfordshire CC [1954] 1 WLR 835 116

Waugh v British Railways Board [1980] AC 521 212

West Bromwich Building Society Ltd

v Townsend [1983] ICR 257 294, 319Western Excavating (ECC) Ltd v Sharp [1978] 1 All ER 713 455Westminster CC v Select Managements Ltd

[1985] 1 All ER 897 343White v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police

[1999] IRLR 110 101, 131White v James [1995] 2 AC 207 299White v Pressed Steel Fisher [1980] IRLR 176 425Wilson v Merry and Cunningham [1868] LR 1 HL (Sc) 326 49Wilsons and Clyde Coal Co Ltd v English [1938] AC 57 2, 47, 61, 64, 77,

92, 94, 105, 107, 295

Wright v Dunlop Rubber Co Ltd and Another,

Cassidy v Same (1971) 11 KIR 311 85, 88, 89

X (Minors) v Bedfordshire CC [1995] AC 633 301

Yarmouth v France (1887) 19 QBD 647 40Yewens v Noakes [1880] 6 QBD 530 58Young v Charles Church (Southern) Ltd and

Another (1997) The Times, 1 May 105, 189

Zuijs v Wirth Brothers Proprietary Ltd (1955) 93 CLR 561 59

Agriculture (Safety, Health

and Welfare Provisions)

Anthrax Prevention Act 1919 264

Boiler Explosions Act 1882 264

Boiler Explosions Act 1890 264

Celluloid and Cinematograph

s 5 162

s 41 163Continental Shelf Act 1964—

s 1(1), (3), (4) 243Criminal Damage Act 1971 233Criminal Justice Act 1991—

s 18(3) 306

Dentists Act 1984 281Deregulation and Contracting

s 3 263Employers’ Liability Act 1880 40, 47Employers’ Liability

(Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 6, 64, 77, 79,

167–69, 215

s 1 79Employers’ Liability

(Defective Equipment) Act 1969 79, 89, 185,

187, 215

s 1 79, 185

s 1(1)(a) 188

s 1(3) 80Employment (Continental Shelf)

Act 1978 264Employment Medical

Advisory Service Act 1972 264

ss 1, 6 264Sched 1 264Employment of Women, Young

Persons and Children Act 1920 263

Employment Protection Act 1975 429

s 3 486Sched 2 485European Communities

(Amendment) Act 1986 485Explosives Act 1875 240, 244, 263

ss 30–32, 80 263

ss 116–121 263Explosives Act 1923 240, 263

188, 319

s 5 184Factories Act 1961 41, 158, 164,

Factories Act 1961 (contd)—

Health and Safety at Work

(Conventions) Act 1936 263

s 5 263Hydrogen Cyanide

(Fumigation) Act 1937 264

Law Reform (Contributory

Law Reform (Parent and

Child) (Scotland) Act 1986—

Mines Management Act 1971 264

Ministry of Fuel and Power

Act 1945

s 1(1) 264

National Health Service Act 1977 202National Health Service

(Scotland) Act 1978 202National Insurance

Act 1965 58, 59National Insurance

(Industrial Injuries) Act 1946 50Nuclear Installations

Act 1969 240

Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 62, 63, 90, 92, 93,

Act 1984 90, 91, 160

s 1 90

s 1(2)–(6) 91Offences Against the Person

Act 1861 236

s 34 238, 239Offices, Shops and Railway

Premises Act 1963 240, 263,

265, 267

ss 4–16 388Offshore Safety Act 1992 264Offshore Safety (Protection

Against Victimisation) Act 1992 264

s 22 203Social Security Administration

Act 1992 203, 216

s 81 202

s 82 203

s 85(1) 202Social Security and Housing

Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 442

ss 6, 37, 94 243Workmen’s Compensation

Act 1897 5, 34, 43, 44,

51, 77, 151

s 1 43

Asbestos Licensing Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/1649) 245reg 3 245regs 4, 5 246Asbestos (Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 1998

(SI 1998/3233) 245

Building (Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations 1948 83reg 29(4) 170reg 30 83

Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging)

Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/1746) 351, 414Collective Redundancies and Transfer of

Undertakings (Protection of Employment)

(Amendment) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/2587) 429Collective Redundancies and Transfer of

Undertakings (Protection of Employment)

(Amendment) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/1925) 429Construction (Design and Management)

Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/3140) 484Construction (General Provisions)

Regulations 1961 (SI 1961/1580) 189Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989

(SI 1989/2209) 392Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare)

Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1582) 28Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987

(SI 1987/2115) 392, 407Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards

Regulations 1984 (SI 1984/1902) 247–49Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1980 (SI 1980/1248)

reg 16 459Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1998

(SI 1998/543) 392, 407Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999

(SI 1999/743) 249reg 3 249regs 4–10 250regs 7–14 250regs 14–18 251Sched 1 249

Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999

(SI 1999/743) (Contd)—

Scheds 4, 5 250Sched 6 251Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Regulations 1988 (SI 1988/1657) 248, 413reg 11 459Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/3246) 266, 392Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/437) 248, 266, 351, 361, 392, 400, 407reg 3 407reg 5 407, 408reg 6 408reg 7 408–10regs 8, 9 410reg 10 411reg 11 411–13regs 12, 16 413reg 19 261

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/635) 304Employers’ Health and Safety Policy Statements

(Exceptions) Regulations 1975 (SI 1975/1584) 320, 322reg 2 321

Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997

(SI 1997/1840) 362, 365, 368, 369reg 4(2)(a), (b) 367

Gas Safety (Installation and Use)

Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/1886) 336Grinding of Metals (Miscellaneous Industries)

Regulations 1925—

reg 1 142

Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees)

Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1513) 254, 430, 433, 443, 444, 487reg 3 430reg 4 430, 431, 433reg 5 431, 432

Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees)

Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1513) (Contd)—

reg 6 432reg 7 432Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment)

Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2792) 401reg 1 401reg 2 401, 402regs 3, 4 402reg 5 402, 403reg 6 403, 404reg 7 404Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority)

Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/494) 281reg 3 281Sched 1 281Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981

(SI 1981/917) 28Health and Safety Information for Employees

(Modifications and Repeals)

Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/2923) 361

Industrial Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of

Procedure) Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/2687) 291reg 2 291Industrial Tribunals (Improvement and Prohibition

Notices Appeals) Regulations 1974 (SI 1974/1925) 291Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 (SI 1985/1333) 392reg 16 459

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment

Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2307) 361, 406

Management and Administration of Safety and

Health at Mines Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/1897) 268Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1992 (the Management

Regulations) (SI 1992/2051) 28, 166, 167, 253, 304,

320, 362, 396, 413, 414,

421, 425, 429, 430, 447reg 3 400

Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1992 (the Management

Regulations) (SI 1992/2051) (Contd)—

reg 10 254regs 16(2), 23 260Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/3242) 166, 248, 279, 361, 362, 375, 396,

413, 414, 421, 425, 429, 473reg 2 375reg 3 361–364, 376reg 4 362, 364reg 5 364reg 6 364, 365reg 7 365, 366reg 8 366, 367reg 9 367reg 10 367, 368reg 11 368reg 12 368–70reg 13 370reg 14 370, 371reg 15 371, 372reg 16 372reg 16(1) 166reg 17 372, 373, 376reg 18 373, 376reg 19 166, 373, 374, 376reg 20 375reg 21 374reg 22 166, 333, 374reg 23(2) 260Sched 1 362, 375Manual Handling Operations

Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2793) 405, 418reg 2 405reg 4 405, 406reg 5 406Metalliferous Mines General Regulations 1938—

reg 7(3) 177, 182, 194, 196reg 15 194Mines Miscellaneous Health and Safety Provisions

Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/2005) 28

Noise at Work Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/1790) 392 Non-Ferros Metals (Melting and Founding)

Regulations 1962 (SI 1962/1667) 119

Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First

Aid) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/1671) 28Offshore Installations (Operational Safety, Health

and Welfare) Regulations 1976 (SI 1976/1019) 237Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992

(SI 1992/2885) 248Offshore Installations (Safety Representatives and

Safety Committee) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/971) 428

Personal Protective Equipment at Work

Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2966) 396reg 2 396, 397regs 3, 4 397regs 5, 6 398reg 7 398, 399regs 8–10 399reg 11 400Provision and Use of Work Equipment

Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2932)—

reg 5(1) 172Provision and Use of Work Equipment

Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2306) 164, 279, 388, 396reg 2 388, 389regs 4, 5 389reg 5(1) 172reg 6 389, 390reg 7 390reg 8 390, 391regs 9, 10 391reg 11 54, 164, 165, 172, 391reg 12 392reg 13 392, 393regs 14–16 393regs 17, 18 394regs 19–23 395regs 24, 27 396

Quarries (Explosives) Regulations 1959 253reg 27(4) 253

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous

Occurrences Regulations 1985 (SI 1985/2023) 277Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous

Occurrences Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/3163) 282regs 2(1), 3(1) 283reg 7 431Road Traffic (Carriage of Dangerous Substances

in Road Tankers and Tank Containers)

Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/743) 261

Safety Representatives and Safety Committees

Regulations 1977 (SI 1977/500) 254, 419reg 3 419reg 4 419, 420, 427reg 4(A) 420, 421, 425reg 5 421reg 6 422reg 7 422, 423regs 8, 9 423reg 11 424, 428Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing Regulations 1960

(SI 1960/1932) 184reg 58(3) 314

Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment)

Regulations 1981 (SI 1981/1794) 484, 485

Working Time Regulations 1988 (SI 1988/1833) 266, 361, 434, 438–41reg 4 434, 435reg 5 435, 436reg 6 436reg 7 436, 437regs 8–10 437reg 10 439regs 11–13 438, 439regs 20, 21, 30 439Sched 1 441

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare)

Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/3004) 164, 166, 267, 376reg 3 388reg 4 376reg 5 377reg 6 377, 378reg 7 267, 378reg 8 378, 379regs 9, 10 379reg 11 379, 380reg 12 380, 381reg 13 381, 382regs 14, 15 382reg 16 382, 383reg 17 383, 384regs 18, 19 384reg 20 384, 385reg 21 385, 386reg 22 386reg 23 386, 387reg 24 387reg 25 387, 388

75/129/EEC (Collective Redundancies Directive) 484, 48577/187/EEC (Acquired Rights Directive) 48480/1107 (Use at Work of Chemical, Physical and

Biological Agents Directive) 47582/501/EEC (Major Accident Hazards of Certain

Industrial Activities Directive)

(EC Seveso Directive) 24785/373/EEC (Products Liability Directive) 17, 48688/642 (Use at Work of Chemical, Physical and

Biological Agents Directive) 47589/391/EEC (Health and Safety

Framework Direcive) 28, 248, 361, 362, 375,

429, 473–84, 48789/654/EEC (Workplace Directive) 166, 38889/655/EEC (Provision and use of Work

Equipment Directive) 164, 361, 39689/656/EEC (Personal Protective Equipment at

Work Directive) 40090/269/EEC (Manual Handling

Operations Directive) 40690/270/EEC (Health and Safety Display Screen

Equipment Directive) 40491/383/EEC (Temporary Workers Directive) 37692/57/EEC (Construction Sites Directive) 48492/85/EC (Pregnant Workers Directive) 372, 37693/104/EC (Working Time Directive) 266, 433, 463, 46494/33/EC (Protection of Young People at Work

Directive) 363, 376, 43394/45/EEC (Establishment of a European Working

Council Directive) 46395/63/EC (Health and Safety at Work Directive) 16496/82/EC (Major Accident Hazards at Work

Directive) 24998/655/EEC (Minimal Health and Safety

Standards for use of Work

Equipment Directive) 407

Treaties and Conventions

EC Treaty—

Art 94 465, 466Art 95 464, 465, 470Art 96 466, 467Art 136 467, 469Arts 137–40 464Art 137 467–69, 471Art 138 468, 469, 471Art 139 469, 471Art 140 469Art 150 467Art 249 468Art 251 468, 471, 472Treaty of Rome 1957 463, 464Art 95 400Art 100 465Art 100A 400, 463–65, 470Art 101 466Art 117 467Art 118 464, 467Art 118a 468Art 118b 469Art 118c 469Art 118A 434, 463, 464, 465, 473, 474Treaty of Amsterdam 1997 464Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty) 1992 463, 464Treaty on European Union Maastricht Treaty

Social Protocol Agreement 463

INTRODUCTION: THE CONCEPT

OF RISK MANAGEMENT

This book sets out the authors’ understanding of the law of occupational health and safety in England today, as laid down in legislation and judicial statements Broadly, the law is likely to be the same in all three jurisdictions that make up the UK, particularly as the three jurisdictions are counted as one for the purposes of membership of the European Union Unless otherwise stated, the law set out here is that which applies in England; however, Scottish compensation cases, going on appeal to the House of Lords, have made a considerable contribution to the development of English law and have, therefore, been drawn upon fairly extensively.

The message constantly repeated in the following pages is the importance

of managing risk by setting up and maintaining safe systems at the workplace While, naturally, the cases cited are almost exclusively concerned with injury suffered at the workplace, it has been necessary, from time to time,

to cite from cases which are not, at first sight, concerned with such injuries, because these cases include important principles of liability The responsibility for safe systems lies heavily upon organisations, particularly upon employers, but individuals also have their personal responsibilities

In this chapter, some consideration will be given to the reasons why it is desirable to install and maintain safe systems at the work place First, it will be noted what the law has to say about safe systems and a broad indication will

be given of some of the criteria by which the law and lawyers determine whether a system is sufficiently safe; comparing the criteria of the civil and the criminal law

The chapter will then touch upon some of the literature in which problems related to the failure to operate safely have been addressed, with some proposals for improving safety In an introduction to a legal text, the survey of this literature can only be partial and superficial, but even such a small insight into the literature may serve to indicate that the law does not operate in a vacuum

The chapter will conclude with a summary of the themes that have emerged These themes will be identifiable in the remainder of the book.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAW

Commitment to safe systems

The British approach is to allow victims of industrial accidents and diseases to sue in the civil courts for compensation Early recognition that the fear of having to pay compensation was not a sufficient incentive to induce organisations to operate safely led Parliament to legislate standards for the workplace and to provide for inspectors to ‘police’ the workplace, in order to ensure that the statutory standards were being met A failure to comply with the legislation leads to penalties, following conviction in the criminal courts Some of the very earliest judicial statements about occupational safety law made reference to the need for employers to maintain safe systems Today, both judges and Parliament repeatedly indicate the need for a systematic approach This is true in both the civil law, relating to accident compensation, and the criminal law, relating to accident prevention Two short examples will illustrate this.

Safe systems in case law

In the leading case of Wilsons and Clyde Coal Company Ltd v English,1Lord Wright described the employer’s duty to his employees:

The obligation is threefold, ‘the provision of a competent staff of men,

adequate material, and a proper system and effective supervision ’.

This case is often regarded as the foundation of the modern law concerning employers’ civil liability to compensate the victims of workplace accidents and diseases Lord Wright was relying on authorities that went back to the nineteenth century Today, a worker who claims damages to compensate for personal injury suffered at the workplace may bring an action for the tort of negligence The success of the action is likely to depend on whether the worker can bring evidence to satisfy the court that the employer failed to provide a safe system of work.

Safe systems in legislation

The principal British statute on occupational health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The Act imposes its first and, arguably, most important duty upon employers Section 2(1) of the Act states:

It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonablypracticable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees

1 [1938] AC 57, p 78

Section 2(1) does not attempt to itemise what the employer must do, although

s 2(2) does, ‘without prejudice to the generality’ of s 2(1), give an indication of some of the matters that have to be dealt with The intention of s 2(1) is to impose upon employers the task of reviewing the totality of their operations,

to ensure that, in every aspect, they are as safe as is reasonably practicable Regulations made under the 1974 Act have spelt this out, particularly the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations These require employers to make an assessment of the risks to which their employees are exposed and then set up systems appropriate for dealing with these risks Employers who fail to comply with the duties contained in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and regulations made under it are liable to criminal prosecution.

Safe workplaces are unlikely to be achieved unless those who work there are informed of the need to operate safely, trained to ensure that they know how to operate safely, and monitored to ensure that safe systems are actually being operated Safe systems depend not only on investing in plant and equipment, but also on investing in people Safety and human resource management are, therefore, closely related and it is difficult to divorce occupational health and safety law from employment law more generally.

• The organisation that wishes to avoid civil and criminal liability has considerable reason to endeavour to set up and maintain safe systems

• In setting up systems, employers will need to consider not merely investment in plant and equipment, but also human resource management.

The penal element in the law

It might be thought that the objective of the criminal law is to punish and that

of the civil law is to compensate, but this is not entirely so The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, while containing criminal sanctions, gives considerable powers to inspectors to issue improvement and prohibition orders and in practice, inspectors more frequently issue such orders than they institute criminal prosecutions Broadly, such orders inform the persons (usually employers) on whom they are served that in the inspector’s opinion something (as set out in the order) needs to be done to make the workplace healthier or safer If the order is complied with it is likely that no criminal charges will be made

Quite apart from this, it has always been a tradition of the British safety inspectorate to provide advice This is done through publications for the purpose of giving guidance to organisations generally and, also, wherever this

is not in conflict with the inspectorate’s enforcement role, to organisations individually.