The workplace can be an incredibly dangerous place especially if you are not shown how to use heavy duty machinery and equipment in the right way. Perhaps you work in a warehouse and operate a fork lift truck or maybe you work in an outbuilding operating a bulldozer. You could fall victim to minor injuries such as cuts and grazes or the injury could be more permanent and result in broken and crushed bones leading to a serious impact on your quality of day to day life. Some injuries may even be proven fatal if you are not shown by your employer how to use such equipment. It\u2019s a serious subject.<\/p>\n
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Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 <\/b>your employer <\/b>is under an obligation to protect their employees from being subject to workplace injuries. An employer must take reasonable steps to prevent an injury occurring by not only demonstrating how to use a piece of machinery safely but by providing sufficient training and instructions of how machinery is to be used.<\/p>\n
The appropriate protection when using such equipment must be provided by the employer to prevent an employee sustaining an injury as well.<\/p>\n
An important part of the regulations state:<\/p>\n
Section <\/b>5 –<\/b> \u201cEvery employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair\u201d.<\/i><\/p>\n
Therefore <\/i>an employer must inspect heavy duty and specialist machinery to ensure it is fit for purpose and has not become damaged over time.<\/p>\n