Health and safety

We are responsible for health and safety enforcement at local commercial premises and non-industrial workplaces. This includes catering, wholesale and retail premises, consumer services, leisure and cultural sites, offices, religious premises, cosmetic treatment businesses etc.

Our role includes:

• Promoting good practice and making sure business keep to health and safety laws.
• Providing advice and guidance for employers so they can meet their health and safety obligations.
• Giving advice to employees, the self-employed and the public on work-related issues affecting health, safety and welfare.
• Investigating work-related accidents, certain dangerous incidents such as 'near misses' and cases of occupational ill health.
• Investigating complaints about working conditions and hazards in the workplace.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The HSE is responsible for health and safety enforcement at larger industries, such as factories, farms, hospitals and the railways:

• Contact the Health and Safety Executive (hse.gov.uk)
• Information about health and safety at work (hse.gov.uk)

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR)

Employers must report incidents involving workplace death, major injury, “over seven day” injuries, dangerous occurrences, and gas incidents. Find more information, including how to report incidents, on the Health and Safety Executive website.

Occupational Health 

The council has a legal duty to ensure that work premises are safe for employees and visitors.

We will provide information to help businesses meet their safety and health duties on our website and by letter or telephone, on request

• On each first visit, we will give you written information about our powers and your rights, as well as about ways of meeting your duties
• Details of rights of appeal against enforcement action is provided along with the enforcement documents
• Enforcement visits and emergency response is available outside normal office hours as required

Visit Gov.UK occupational health information