Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963

20Regulations for securing health and safety

(1)The Minister may, as respects premises to which this Act applies or any class of such premises, make special regulations for protecting persons, or persons of any class, working in such premises or, as the case may be, in such premises of the class to which the regulations apply, against risks of bodily Injury or injury to health arising out of the use of any machinery, plant, equipment, appliance or substance, the carrying on of any operation or the use of any process.

(2)Regulations under this section may make any such provision for the purpose aforesaid as appears to the Minister to meet the necessity of the case so far as is reasonably practicable, and may impose obligations, restrictions and prohibitions on those who employ persons to work as aforesaid, on persons employed so to work, and on others.

(3)Without prejudice to the generality of the last foregoing subsection, regulations under this section may provide for—

(a)regulating or prohibiting the use of any machinery, plant, equipment, appliance or substance, the carrying on of any operation or the use of any process;

(b)imposing requirements with respect to the construction, installation, examination, repair, maintenance, alteration, adjustment and testing of machinery, plant, equipment or appliances and the safeguarding of dangerous parts thereof;

(c)prohibiting the sale or letting on hire for use in premises in Great Britain to which this Act applies (or, where the regulations relate to a class of such premises, for use in such premises of that class) of any machinery, plant, equipment or appliance which does not comply with requirements of the regulations;

(d)any incidental, supplementary or consequential matters for which it appears to the Minister requisite or expedient to provide for the purposes of the regulations.

(4)A person who contravenes a provision of regulations under this section (other than a provision having effect by virtue of paragraph (c) of the last foregoing subsection) shall be guilty of an offence.

(5)A person who contravenes a provision of regulations having effect by virtue of paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of this section or, as agent of the seller or hirer, causes or procures any machinery, plant, equipment or appliance to be sold or let on hire in contravention of any such provision, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding two hundred pounds.

(6)An offence under the last foregoing subsection shall, where necessary for conferring jurisdiction on a court to entertain proceedings for the offence, be deemed to have been committed in the place where the machinery, plant, equipment or appliance in question is for the time being.

(7)Proceedings for an offence under subsection (5) of this section may be commenced at any time within twelve months from the time when the offence was committed.

(8)Where a contravention of a provision of regulations under this section consists in a failure to do anything at or within a time specified in the regulations, and the regulations provide that this subsection shall apply to a failure so to do it, the contravention shall be deemed to continue until that thing is done.

(9)A requirement imposed by virtue of subsection (3)(b) of this section with respect to the safeguarding of dangerous parts of machinery may be expressed to take effect in addition to, or in lieu of, a requirement imposed by section 17 of this Act.

(10)So far as regards machinery, plant, equipment or appliances, nothing in this section shall be construed as restricting the exercise of the powers thereby conferred to the making of provision with respect to machinery, plant, equipment or appliances wholly situate in premises to which this Act applies.