HASAWA 1974 — Level 3 Health & Safety Practice

Sample questions

1. 01Under Section 2 of HASAWA 1974, what is the employer's general duty?

   • AThe employer, or the person in control of the premises where the incident occurred
   • BTo ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees
   • CTo enable HSE and local authorities to identify workplace risks and investigate serious accidents
   • DEvaluating and prioritising risks by plotting likelihood against severity

   Why: Section 2 of HASAWA 1974 places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees.

2. 02What does 'so far as is reasonably practicable' mean under HASAWA?

   • AThe employer need only follow the manufacturer's instructions and any British Standard
   • BThe employer must act only once a written complaint or an HSE notice has been received
   • CThe employer must remove every risk however small, whatever the cost or difficulty
   • DThe employer must weigh the risk against the cost, time and effort of removing it

   Why: Reasonably practicable means weighing the degree of risk against the cost (in money, time, and trouble) needed to avert it. If disproportion exists, it's not reasonably practicable.

3. 03Under Section 3 of HASAWA, employers have duties to whom?

   • AEmployees and agency staff, but not visitors or members of the public
   • BNon-employees who may be affected by the work activities
   • COnly their own directly employed full-time staff
   • DTheir own employees and any subcontractors under their direct control

   Why: Section 3 requires employers to conduct their undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that non-employees are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.