Facilities Manager's Desk Reference, 3rd Edition

16Legislation Affecting Facilities Management Activities

16.1 Introduction

FMs (facilities managers, or facilities management) must be familiar with the legislation that affects FM services and activities. With much legislation impacting on the work of the FM, a qualification in health and safety has become more important to demonstrate competence. Qualifications that are often stated as requirements in job advertisements include the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) General Certificate and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely qualification.

FMs should be aware of the legislation, regulations, Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs) and guidance documents that relate to the buildings, the services and the employment of people providing those services. A list of some of these is shown in Table 15.4. ACoPs provide good‐practice information and are often viewed as the minimum standard of compliance. Guidance documents are also published to aid interpretation of laws and cover a wider range of subjects. A full list of publications can be found at HSE.gov.uk. All managers must also be aware of the basic principles of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, as shown in Table 16.1.

16.2 Safety policy

A written safety policy is required by the Health and Safety at Work Act (Section 2[3]) for organisations of five or more employees. Advice on drafting or checking a policy can be found in Managing for Health and Safety ...