Relevant Regulations and Policies

Equality is about recognising that inequalities exist and making sure that everyone is treated fairly.

• Equality should be central to all policy development and practice
• Employment and other services need to be genuinely accessible to everyone
• Everyone has individual needs and the right to have these needs respected without discrimination
• Discrimination is identified, challenged and stopped

People of many different nationalities, ethnic groups, cultures, religious or non-faith backgrounds, and of different age, gender, impairmen, household type, sexual orientation and transgender status live in Britain. This is what makes it a diverse society. Changes in the make-up of our population, the effects of migration, economic and social change, and changes in our concept of personal freedom, mean that what is percieved as 'a British Citizen' has changed.

The Data Protection Act 2018 including GDPR protects how personal information or data is used and stored. The Data Protection Act 2018 has a numner of key principles. 

Everyone who has responsibility for using personal data must make sure information is:

• Used fairly, lawfully and transparently
• Used for specific, explicit purposes
• Used in a way that is adequate, relevant and limited to only what is necessary
• Accurate and where necessary, kept upto date
• Kepts for no longer than is necessary
• Handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorised processing, access, loss, destruction or damage.

Information taht should remain confidential in an organisation include

• Customer's personal data (this is all data collected both electronically or paper-based)
• Customer's financial information
• Customer compliments and complaints
• Customer's purchase history
• Organisational financial or strategic information
• Employee personal data

Confidentiality is important to maintain privacy, security and trust in personal and professional relationships. Confidentiality is valued and expected in any situation where sensitive information is accessed or shared. Breaking the rules of confidentiality by releasing private information to the wrong entity can cause discord, broken trust and even lawsuits between parties.

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation, and is a Europe wide legislative measure. The new data Protection Act 2018 has GDPR standards implemented across all data processing. Under GDPR, all customer personal data must be:

• Processed lawfully, fairly and with transparency
• Collected for a specific purpose
• Be adequate, relevant and limited to its purpose
• Only kept for the necessary period of time
• Processed in a secure manner to maintain integrity and confidentiality

Customers have the following rights under GDPR:

• Right to be informed
• Right of access
• Right to rectification
• Right to erasure
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to object
• Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

• Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Intellectual property is any elemen of creative work which is also classed as physical property. Copyright is an automatic right which can be applied when any body of work is recorded in some way.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive, with local authorities (and other enforcing authorities) are responsible for enforcing the Act. All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or ill through work. Your employer is responsible for health and safety, but you must help.

• Decide what could harm you in your job and the precaustions to stop it (this is part of risk assessment)
• In a way you can understand, explain how risks will be controlled and tell you who is responsible for this
• Consult and work with you and your health and safety respresentitives in protecting everyone from harm in the workplace
• Free of charge, give you the health and safety training you need to do your job
• Free of charge, provide you with any equipment and protective clothing you need and ensure it is properly looked after
• Provide toilets, washing facilities and drinking water
• Provide adequate first-aid facilities
• Report major injuries and fatalities at work and report other injuries, diseases and dangerous incidents online 
• Have insurance that covers you incase you get hurt or ill through work
• Work with any ther employees or contractors sharing the workplace or providing employees, so that everyone's health and safety is protected

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is relevat to those working in the public sector. The UK allws the public a "right to access" to information held by public authorities nationally, Requests have to be made to relevant parties, however there may be exemptions in delivering the requested information.

Moving and handling is the largest cause of injuries at work. 1 in 4 people take time off of work because of back injuries sustained on duty. Manual handling injuries costs employers £335,000,000 per annm. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 state that you should:

• AVOID - so far as it is reasonably practicable 
• ACCESS - what can't be avoided
• REDUCE - risk of injury; use equipment & aids
• REVIEW - regularly or if changes occures