Health and Safety

The Environmental Health team carry out routine inspections of a range of Commercial premises to assess compliance with Health and Safety legislation. We investigate complaints and accidents and provide advice for new and existing businesses.

Enforcement of Health and Safety is split between Local Authorities and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We deal with the following types of premises:

• offices
• shops
• hotels
• restaurants/pubs and clubs
• leisure premises
• places of worship
• nurseries and playgroups
• sheltered accommodation and care homes
• hair and beauty
• warehouses
• builders merchants
• tyre and exhaust fitters.

Enforcing Health and Safety Law

When a breach of Health and Safety law is identified, either during a routine visit or as a result of an investigation into a complaint or accident, the inspector will decide what action to take. The action will depend on the nature of the breach, and will be based on the principles set out in our Enforcement Policy below .

The inspector will provide employees or their representatives with information about any action taken, or which is necessary for the purpose of keeping them informed about matters affecting their Health, Safety and Welfare.

Accident reporting

Certain injuries, diseases and 'dangerous occurrences' - events which do not cause injury but are potentially very serious - must be reported to the enforcing authority under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 to 2013 (RIDDOR).

Details of what is included in the various categories can be found on the Riddor website but to summarise, the following must be reported:

• Deaths (of employees or members of the public)
• Major injuries (such as fractures and amputations) to employees
• Members of the public taken to hospital from your premises.
• Injuries which prevent an employee from carrying out their normal work for more than 7 days.
• Serious diseases or medical conditions caused by work, such as occupational asthma.
• Dangerous occurrences such as electrical short circuits causing fire or explosion.
• How and when to report.

All accidents can be reported to a central point - the Incident Contact Centre through the Riddor website. Fatalities and major incidents can alternatively be reported by phone on 0345 300 9923 - opening hours Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.30pm

Deaths, major injuries, public taken to hospital and dangerous occurrences must be reported immediately by telephone or on the internet.

Injuries which prevent an employee from carrying out their normal duties for more than 7 days (not including the day of the accident) must be reported via the online system within 15 days.

All reports are passed to the Local Authority or the Health and Safety Executive as appropriate.