The buck stops...where? [health and safety]

Despite the reams of official literature that are available to explain details of the health and safety legislation that is current in the UK, many engineers seem to be genuinely baffled about what they are responsible for it, and when that responsibility can be passed on to someone else. As far as the Machinery Directive goes, essentially the responsibilities can be looked at in terms of the manufacturer, the authorised representative, the importer, the distributor, the assembler/installer, and the user. However, it should also be remembered that the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, also places certain responsibilities on the directors and employees of a company using machinery.