Health and Safety Legislation, Equality and Discrimination in Business

This report examines the significance of health and safety legislation and equality within the context of the tour and travel industry, using Thomas Cook as a case study. It emphasizes the importance of providing adequate safety measures for employees through training sessions and adherence to health and safety regulations, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The report explores the concept of equality, highlighting the Equality Act 2010 and related legislation like the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Discrimination Act, emphasizing the elimination of discrimination in all forms. It details the impact of these legislations on businesses, promoting effective operations and attracting tourists. The report also discusses the measures provided by the Health and Safety Commission, including guidance, codes of practice, and regulations, and underscores the employer's responsibility to ensure workplace safety, including the organization of training programs. Overall, the report underscores the importance of legal compliance, fair treatment, and proactive measures to ensure a safe and equitable workplace for all employees and customers.

LEGISLATION AND ETHICS IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM SECTOR
2.1 Impact of health and safety legislation on travel and tourism sector
Thomas Cook is providing their services to tourist at various destinations.
This company focuses to make effective innovation so that they may
provide more and more satisfaction to their customers at destination.
Impact: Health and safety legislation has vast impact over travel and
tourism sector. It helps to promote this industry so that more and more
people can be attracted toward them. These legislations issue assistance to
run business more effectively. It has impact over business and tourist are
promoted to visit the destination, where the organisation is able to provide
them better services.
The health and safety at work place, 1974 provides regulations are required
to be followed to provide safety. It is necessary to fulfil all the guidelines
so that no issue may arise in this regard. This is one of the important
elements that is required to follow by the organisation so that they can
maintain adequate norms in their company and to provide safety at
workplace.
Health and safety commission states measures that provide adequate protection in
this regard as:
1. Guidance: Such commission states clear guild-line that it is required to
aware the people with legislations to aware them from safety norms. It
provides technical guidance to them.
2. Approval codes of practice: It states rules and regulation that is required
to follow by employer, if they use hazardous material. This also states
liability of employer where there is breach of norms health and safety
laws.
3. Regulations: It is responsibility of employer to provide adequate safety to
people at work place. This clearly states that if the organisation has more
than 5 employees then it is required to have written code of conduct
related to health and safety. Training sessions are required to be held by
the company so that they can guide their employees regarding handling of
hazardous substance.
The training may be in following ways as-
 Organising induction programme.
 Training to existing employees.
 Issuing caution sign.
 Handbook.
Equality is the term that states to treat all the humans equally. It eliminates
discrimination by any mean. It is required for every company to have the equality.
Thomas cook is the organisation that provides equal opportunities to its workers so
that they may get equal opportunity. This term promotes the employees at workplace
and they are more motivated to work effectively in the organisation to achieve its
goal and objective. Discrimination means providing low grade services and
opportunity that are generally not provided to other employees. Discrimination may
be on the basis of age, caste, creed and gender.
There are some different bases on that discrimination is made-
 Direct- It is the different treatment that is provided to one person and it is
on the basis of law.
 Indirect- It is the treatment where unequal opportunity is offered to group
of individual and such persons are kept away from facility and amenity
that is given to other workers.
 Perceptive- Discrimination is made on the basis of some special character.
 Harassment- Difference on the basis of unwanted behaviour. Such factor
arises due to past actions of that personal.
 Disability- Unequal treatment is provided because of physical disability. It
may be on the basis of handicap, physical issues etc.
2.2 Legislation of equality related to UK tour operator
The equality act 2010 states that equal treatment is to be provided by firm to every
worker. It clearly mentions that there must be elimination of discrimination at workplace
so that all the employees can be motivated to work effectively. This act is formed by the
combination of many acts like Sex discrimination act, employment equality regulations,
race relation act etc.
Sex discrimination act 1975 states protection to all the humans related to all
the grounds of discrimination. It protects the rights in relation to employment, training
and education. Race discrimination act provides assistance when there are differences on
the basis of race, colour and on the basis of nationality. The disability discrimination act
2005 provides protection, when there is difference on the basis of disability.
It is required for cited organisation to follow all mechanism so that they may
implement effective mechanism in this regard. There must not be any discrimination
among the employees. It has vast impact over organisation because if such company
offers unequal treatment to their worker then such persons are unable to provide better
services to the organisation.
This is one of the important tasks for Tour and travel agency to follow all the
guidelines in relation to quality. It is required to provide better and qualitative treatment
to tourist at the destination and there must not be any discrimination among them on any
basis. Such operators offer many services top people so it is required for them to follow
all the guidelines of equality law, sex discrimination act and other related norms. It
provides assistance to them to ensure that their centres are not providing unequal
treatment to their customers.
Equality legislations are formed so that they may provide maximum
assistance to people. This legislation ensures the equal treatment is provided to all the
customers and equal opportunities are offered to all the workers. Equality act is formed
so that they may provide equal treatment to their employees and there is no
discrimination on any basis. It helps to implement effective mechanism and motivate the
people of organisation to work more effectively so that they can achieve their targets in
more effective way.
Health and safety legislation
There are many health and safety legislations that are
required to be followed by tour and travel industry. Such legislation is
formed to provide adequate protection the customers so that they can be
more attracted toward the destination. It is necessary for this industry to
fulfil all the norms related to health and safety. This is important
segment that is required to follow so that better services can be
provided which can satisfy them. The product and services must require
to fulfil all the safety norms.
Health and safety legislation to provide adequate safety to the
employees and it can be provided by them if they organise training
session for them. This is an important task for the organisation to
implement health and safety measures so that if any issue arises in this
regard then they are able to provide quick solution of it.