Our Ref: HSR/4/4

Head Office Circular: NP/266/22

9^th December 2022

To: The Secretary

ALL BRANCHES

ALL SHIPPING BRANCHES

REGIONAL COUNCILS

 

Dear Colleague,

EMPLOYERS ACTIONS IN RELATION TO HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT 1974

The Wessex Regional Council submitted the following resolution: 

 

This Wessex Regional Council requests that the NEC instructs the General Secretary to coordinate acomprehensive review on whether employers’ actions with regards their responsibilities under the Health andSafety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA 1974) are consistent with Section 9 of the Act, and develop strategies torectify in cases where they are found not to be.

 

Section 9 HSWA 1974 states "No employer shall levy or permit to be levied on any employee of his anycharge in respect of anything done or provided in pursuance of any specific requirement of the relevant statutory provisions"

 

The review and any actions undertaken should include but not necessarily be limited to Safety Training and Duplication. 

  

Further we ask that legal opinion and analysis should be sought on the provision of safety training and whopays for it, under Section 9 HSWA 1974 with regards self-employed workers.

     

HSE state on their website that the new Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022, do not allow employers to charge self-employed workers for PPE provided due to Section 9 HSWA 1974, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1999 state training undertaken should be classified as work. Taking this into consideration the analysis should examine whether HSE should be enforcing the regulations on energy. corporations that insist workers duplicate their training by classing it as work, which would entitle them to be paid for their time, and subsequently lobbying HSE to carry this out.

 

Non-Payment of Breaks in Working Day

The review should include analysis of whether an employer not paying a worker for breaks, such as paying 11out of 12 hours or 9 out of 10 is compatible with Section 9 HSWA 1974, with particular reference to where theemployer would not allow the worker to work all the way through and finish an hour early, citing " it is not safe to do that

 

Your National Executive Committee (NEC) , at its meeting on 7^th December 2022, noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety sub-committee: 

 

We note the resolution from Wessex Regional Council, for which they are thanked. 

 

We instruct the GS to update RMT Health and Safety Handbook to reflect the new Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022 and how these apply in terms of casual workers who are not employed – but are now being covered by the regulations. 

 

The General Secretary is also instructed to write to Wessex region Lead Officer to ensure that he seek to remedy any incidents of employers charging for       occupational mandatory safety training or of non-payment of breaks in the working day - and to report back to NEC as necessary. 

 

Branches and Regional Councils to be informed. 

 

I am acting in accordance with these instructions. 

 

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of relevant members. 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Michael Lynch

General Secretary