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Job ad in local rag says applicants must be prepared to provide their own safety footwear / gloves etc. Don't employers have a responsibility to provide safety equipment for employees? Decent pair of boots will be upwards of £50.
Yup - employers need to provide PPE
Employers must provide (I'm certain free of charge). It's the law
nothing to do with employment, but i once saw an ad in the Keswick Reminder which said:
Firewood for sale. Must have own saw and collect from hedge.
Nice way to get your hedge cut for you and make a profit 😀
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/ppe.htm
However, given the amount of times I've been asked "Have you got boots/high vis etc" and whatnot, I'm sure there's a get-out in there somewhere. Agencies, etc.
re. boots. Last pair I got were £30ish, meting the relevant CE standards. Not the swishest things in the world, but then again PPE isn't exactly fancy to begin with. Worthy investment too: tell an employer/agency you've your own boots and high vis when asked, and your chances of being taken on increase massively.
A couple of points (possibly of no importance):
- if you're self employed you're obliged to provide your own - I wonder if they're relying on you being a contractor rather than an employee somehow?
- don't construction workers often have their own boots and stuff anyhow?
Yep, they have to provide PPE free of charge.
Unless its a clue as to the nature of employment i.e. they may be looking for self employed people to work under contract. Being self employed you have a duty to yourself and others for Health & Safety (Wearing the relevant PPE). The organisation running the site also has the right to refuse entry to the site for non compliance of the wearing of PPE.
Unless its a clue as to the nature of employment i.e....
... they're going to take the pi55 out fo you as much and for as long as they can get away with.
H&S law is incredible. did a course on it last week.
Basicly, everyone sues everyone, and at the end of it all, after the dust has settled, the HSE shreds all parties involved.
you do however, have a responsability to yourself as much as they have a responsability for you.
to be negligent in health and safety is as criminal on you side as it is on thiers.
short answer, if you are an employee (on the payyroll) they should provide you PPE.
They should provide you PPE to a suitable standard for you to complete your specifed tasks safely.
More often than not means cheap ass boots that meet the basic requirements and probably the same standard of gloves if required, repeat to end.
Some companies are veyr good and provide you with excellent standards of equipment, others are cheapskates.
although a pain now, can you not claim it back in tax return at end of year if you do buy it yourself?
Are badly fitting jeans that show half your arse off, standard safety equipment or do constructions workers feel this is a fashion metric they need to achieve?
i was givewn the catalogue and told to choose - didn't wanna take thios piss so got some £40 boots - then see everyone else is rocking timberlands! 8)
If on the agency etc on construction sites you have to provide your own PPE. If you are directly employed through the books then yes employers do have to. But if you sub contract or work via agencies you have to provide your own which you can claim back through you tax returns
I do, if I did not I would not be allowed on site mind you there is no construction going on at the mo so it is not a issue in devon
Simple realy [u]do you want the job[/u]
Builders bum is an industry neccessity. If you have a brick in one hand and a trowel in the other, where else are you supposed to hold your mars bar?
That's not a mars bar...
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tell an employer/agency you've your own boots and high vis when asked, and your chances of being taken on increase massively
which gives you a good picture of the degree of employer care you can expect 🙁
H&S law is incredible. did a course on it last week.
Basicly, everyone sues everyone, and at the end of it all, after the dust has settled, the HSE shreds all parties involved.
Sounds like a piss-poor course; can you get your money back?
Are badly fitting jeans that show half your arse off, standard safety equipment or do constructions workers feel this is a fashion metric they need to achieve?
What are you doing looking at builders arses ?
I hope they don't ever catch you perving mate 😕