The government has announced a new regulation that mandates the presence of a health and safety officer at any workplace employing more than 75 workers.
The Occupational Safety and Health Regulations was developed under the newly enacted Workplace Safety and Health Act of this year. The Labour Relations Authority (LRA) will be responsible for enforcing the regulation, which aims to promote a safe and healthy work environment. The regulation also outlines the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in ensuring workplace safety and health.
Under the Workplace Safety and Health Regulations, employers are required to establish safety and health arrangements at their workplaces. The regulations mandate that a health and safety officer must be appointed for every 75 employees, with the number of officers increasing as the workforce grows.
The regulation details that workplaces with 75 to 150 employees must have one health officer, those with 151 to 300 employees must have two health officers, those with 301 to 500 employees must have three health officers. In addition, workplaces with 501 to 1,000 employees must appoint four health officers, and those with over 1,001 employees are required to have five health officers.
The duties of health and safety officers, as outlined in the regulations, include educating employees about workplace safety regulations, conducting training programmes, performing regular safety assessments, and ensuring the implementation of safety protocols. In addition, health officers are tasked with identifying potential health hazards and taking preventive measures to address them.