Preventive and protection measures



Article 10 requires the responsible person to follow a hierarchy of preventive and protective measures, as set out in Schedule 1, Part 3. The principles are:



• avoiding risks;



• evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided;



• combating the risks at source;



• adapting to technical progress;



• replacing the dangerous with the non-dangerous or less dangerous;



• developing a coherent overall prevention policy which covers technology, organisation of work and the influence of factors relating to the working environment;



• giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures; and



• giving appropriate instructions to employees.



Article 13 requires the responsible person to ensure that the workplace is equipped with appropriate firefighting equipment and with fire detectors and alarms. The responsible person must also:



• take measures for firefighting in the premises (adapted to the nature of the activities carried on there and the size of the undertaking and of the premises concerned);



• nominate competent persons to implement those measures and ensure that the number of such persons, their training and the equipment available to them are adequate, taking into account the size of, and the specific hazards involved in, the premises; and



• arrange any necessary contacts with external emergency services, particularly as regards firefighting, rescue work, first-aid and emergency medical care.



Article 14 imposes duties regarding emergency routes and exits and Article 15 concerns procedures to deal with “serious and imminent danger”. These include safety drills and evacuation procedures.


Article 16 sets out additional emergency measures in respect of dangerous substances and article 17 requires the responsible person, where necessary in order to safeguard safety, to ensure that there is a suitable system of maintenance and that premises, facilities, equipment and devices are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.


Article 18 requires the responsible person to appoint competent people to help implement the preventive and protective measures. A competent person is defined as someone who “has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures”. The competent person must be given adequate means and “the time available for them to fulfil their functions”. The responsible person must appoint a competent employee in preference to an outside person, such as a contractor (see page 44).