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Safety Glossary

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Safety Glossary

VISITORS IN THE WORKPLACE

Am I allowed to provide first aid to a visitor who is taken ill or has an accident in the workplace?

Yes – it is the policy of the Council to provide first aid to visitors, although it is not legally required to do so.

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Do I have to be concerned about the health and safety of any visitors to my workplace?

Yes – under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 employers have a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of visitors in premises over which they have control.

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Do I need to report accidents to visitors?

Accidents, and also near miss incidents, to visitors must be investigated and reported in accordance with the Council’s accident reporting procedure.

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Is it OK to allow children into the workplace?

This will depend on the circumstances in individual cases, such as the degree of risk in the workplace but, generally, it will be OK if permission is given by the relevant manager after assessing the risks and the child is accompanied at all times by a responsible person, such as a parent or guardian.

There may well be circumstances where it would not be appropriate to allow children into the workplace, such as where there is dangerous plant, equipment, machinery or work processes, for example in the yard areas of highway depots.

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Who is responsible for the supervision of visitors?

The relevant manager has overall responsibility for any visitor, although for practical purposes this may be delegated to someone else, for example the employee being visited.

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Why should visitors sign in and out of the workplace?

Unless the workplace is a small office or similar where their whereabouts are immediately apparent and there is little risk to them, visitors should sign in and out of the workplace so that, for example: 

  • they can be adequately supervised to ensure that they do not stray into hazardous areas;
  • it can be determined if they need to be provided with any personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection if entering noisy areas of the workplace;
  • they can be informed of any risks to which they may be exposed whilst on the premises;
  • it can be determined if they themselves are bringing any risks into the workplace and if any measures need to be implemented to control those risks;
  • they can be informed of any emergency arrangements for the premises, such as the fire procedure;
  • it can be determined if any special provision needs to be made for them, such as assistance in evacuating the premises if disabled;
  • it is known when they are on the premises and when they have left so that they can be accounted for during an emergency.
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