

The Health & Safety Act 1974 states that employers cannot delegate or sub-contract their Health & Safety responsibilities and must provide employees with:
A Safe Place of Work
Sale Plant and Equipment
Safe Access and Egress
Safe Systems of Work
Section 40 of the acts says that in the event of
a prosecution an employer would be guilty until they prove their
innocence.
“In any proceedings for an offence under any of the relevant
statutory provisions which consist of a failure to comply with a
duty or requirement to do something ‘so far as is reasonably
practicable’ or ‘best practicable means’ it shall
be for ‘the accused’ to prove that it was neither practicable
nor reasonably practicable to do more than was, in fact done to
satisfy the duty or requirement, or that there was no better practicable
means than that which was in fact used to satisfy that duty or requirement.”
– Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – Section 40