The employer has several duties relating to the conditions of work under which employees are to exercise their respective tasks. These conditions of work are as follows;
- Safe system of work: the employer has a duty to make reasonable provision for the safety of his employees. If an employer fails in this duty and as a result, the employee is injured, the employer will have committed a tort in negligence and will be liable for damages caused.
- Duty to provide adequate materials, premises and plant: It is the duty of an employer to provide adequate materials, equipment or plant at the disposal of the employee. If the employer didn’t take reasonable care in the provision of these things, an employee will have an action in negligence against the employer.
- Duty to warn against danger: The employer must put a system in place aimed at providing some caution to his employee against all dangerous places or machinery in the work place or factory. If the employee sustains injuries as a result of the lack of provision of such vital information, the employer will be responsible for compensation.
- Duty to provide competent staff: It is the duty of the employer to employ competent personnel for particular tasks. The working conditions for an employee can be more efficient and risk free if the other employees are also competent in their respective departments.
- Duty to provide proper system of work and effective supervision: A system of work is a permanent practice exhibited in a routine. It may include physical layout of the job, the sequence in which the job is carried out, and the instructions which accompany the sequence of work. If the system of work is proper and the supervision is effective, then the availability of risks is minimal.