Under Section 8 of the 2005 Act the duties of the employer are as follows:

“(1) Every employer shall ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of his or her employees.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the employer’s duty extends, in particular, to the following:

(a) managing and conducting work activities in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of his or her employees;

(b) managing and conducting work activities in such a way as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any improper conduct or behaviour likely to put the safety, health or welfare at work of his or her employees at risk;

(c) as regards the place of work concerned, ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable—

(i)            the design, provision and maintenance of it in a condition that is safe and without risk to health,

(ii)           the design, provision and maintenance of safe means of access to and egress from it, and 

(iii)          the design, provision and maintenance of plant and machinery or any other articles that are safe and without risk to health;

(d) ensuring, so far as it is reasonably practicable, the safety and the prevention of risk to health at work of his or her employees relating to the use of any article or substance or the exposure to noise, vibration or ionising or other radiations or any other physical agent;

(e) providing systems of work that are planned, organised, performed, maintained and revised as appropriate so as to be, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health;

 (f) providing and maintaining facilities and arrangements for the welfare of his or her employees at work;

 (g)providing the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health, and welfare at work of his or her employees;

(h) determining and implementing the safety, health and welfare measures necessary for the protection of the safety, health and welfare of his or her employees when identifying hazards and carrying out a risk assessment under section 19 or when preparing a safety statement under section 20 and ensuring that the measures take account of changing circumstances and the general principles of prevention specified in Schedule 3;

(i) having regard to the general principles of prevention in Schedule 3, where risks cannot be eliminated or adequately controlled or in such circumstances as may be prescribed, providing and maintaining such suitable protective clothing and equipment as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of his or her employees;

(j) preparing and revising, as appropriate, adequate plans and procedures to be followed and measures to be taken in the case of an emergency or serious and imminent danger;

(k) reporting accidents and dangerous occurrences, as may be prescribed, to the Authority or to a person prescribed under section 33, as appropriate, and

(l) obtaining, where necessary, the services of a competent person (whether under a contract of employment or otherwise) for the purpose of ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of his or her employees.”