The eagerly awaited Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) for the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 will be published by the end of this month. The new regulations came into force on 29 December 1999, in place of the old 1992 regulations. The ACoP will provide practical guidance on how to comply with the law.

The main changes to the regulations (see Facilities Management Legal Update Vol.4 Iss.1) are that:

• employers should use competent employees, where they exist, in preference to external sources for advice and assistance on health and safety issues;
  
  
• contacts should be made with emergency services for first aid, emergency medical care and rescue;
  
  
• employers must designate employees to implement fire fighting procedures; and
  
  
• clarification that it is not a defence for employers to blame employees for failing to meet their obligations.