Work Experience Assignment
Vocational study
Health, safety and welfare at work
The primary legislation providing for the health and safety of people at work is the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005-2007
The duties of employees under this Act:
• To protect the health and safety of themselves and of other people at the workplace.
• To report any problems in the workplace or equipment that might be a danger to health and safety.
• To undergo any reasonable medical or other assessment if requested to do so by the employer.
• To not be under the influence of drink or drugs in the workplace.
• To not promote any improper behaviour that will but anyone in the workplace at risk.
Employers have a duty to ensure their employees' health, safety
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The assessment should be carried out before the young person is employed.
• The employer should provide protective equipment together with training on how to use it, wherever is necessary.
• The protective equipment should be provided free of charge to employees if its intended for use at the at the workplace only.
• Employees should usually be provided with their own personal equipment.
• The correct use of computers is an important health and safety consideration for employers and employees.
• All accidents in the workplace should be reported to the employer, who should record the details of the incident.
• Proper safegaurds should be put into place to eliminate the risk of violence and the employee should be provided with means of minimising the remaining risk. Equality legislation
Equality legislation is used to safegaurd against discrimination. A person is said to be discriminated against if he or she is treated differently than another is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation on any of the following grounds:
• Gender
• Civil status
• Family
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A union can provide a important source of information and protection in relation to employment matters as well as negotiating with the employer for better pay and conditions. There are three types of unions:
• Craft unions: The skilled category
• White collar unions: Professional, office and service occupations.
• General unions: Semi-skilled and unskilled workers.
The Irish congress of trade unions (ICTU) is the main organisation for most of the bigger unions of workers in Ireland and represents employees at social talks. Pay structures and work conditions are recommended and negoitiated. A national wage agreement is generally secured for workers, such as the Haddington Road Agreement.
There is no legal obligation on an employer to negotiate with a union on behalf of an employee member unless previously agreed. This does not prevent a dispute about trade union recognition from being a lawful dispute.
Dismissal for trade unions activity or membership is automatically unfair under the Unfair Dismissal Acts 1977-2007. An employee dismissed in some circumstances does not require any length of service in the job in order to bring a case in this instance under the