Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
38
installation, use, cleaning, maintenance, disposal, etc). 
The supplier should be able to provide the information 
needed to do this. This will help the purchaser make an 
informed decision on the total costs because the risks 
will have been identifi ed as will the precautions needed 
to control those risks. A risk assessment will still be 
needed for a CE-marked product. The CE marking sig-
nifi es the manufacturer’s declaration that the product 
conforms to relevant European Directives. Declarations 
from reputable manufacturers will normally be reliable. 
However, purchasers should be alert to fake or inad-
equate declarations and technical standards which may 
affect the health and safety of the product despite the 
CE marking. The risk assessment is still necessary to 
consider how and where the product will be used, what 
effect it might have on existing operations and what 
training will be required.
Employers have some key duties when buying plant 
and equipment:
➤
they must ensure that work equipment is safe, suit-
able for its purpose and complies with the relevant 
legislation. This applies equally to equipment which 
is adapted to be used in ways for which it was not 
originally designed
➤
when selecting work equipment, they must consider 
existing working conditions and health and safety 
issues
➤
they must provide adequate health and safety infor-
mation, instructions, training and supervision for 
operators. Manufacturers and suppliers are required 
by law to provide information that will enable safe 
use of the equipment, substances, etc. and without 
risk to health.
Some of the issues that will need to be considered when 
buying in product or plant include:
➤
ergonomics – risk of work-related upper limb dis-
orders (WRULD)
➤
manual handling needs
➤
access/egress
➤
storage, e.g. of chemicals
➤
risk to contractors when decommissioning old plant 
or installing new plant
➤
hazardous materials – provision of extraction equip-
ment or personal protective equipment
➤
waste 
disposal
➤
safe systems of work
➤
training
➤
machinery 
guarding
➤
emissions from equipment/plant, such as noise, heat 
or vibration.