Health and Safety for workplaces
There are health and safety laws that your business must comply with. These laws are enforced by an inspector either from the local authority Environmental Health Service or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
In general, the HSE covers:
- Factories
- Building sites
- Mines and quarries
- Farms
- Fairgrounds
- Railways
- Chemical plants
- Offshore and nuclear installations
Local authorities cover:
- Offices
- Shops
- Warehouses
- Hotels and catering
- Sport
- Leisure
- Consumer services (for example launderettes, hairdressers, undertakers, shoe repair, tyre and exhaust fitters)
- Residential care homes
- Churches
Health and safety guidance
View HSE guidance for all workplaces which includes a vast range of information and documents to help you make sure your business complies with the law.
Site visits and inspectors' role
An inspectors job is to assess your compliance with the relevant health and safety legislation, by seeing how well you are managing hazards within your workplace to try and protect the health and safety of your employees whilst at work.
Inspectors will visit workplaces to undertake an inspection, or to investigate an accident or a complaint. They do visit workplaces without notice but you are entitled to see their identification before letting them in.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974, inspectors have the following rights:
- Right of entry to your premises at any reasonable time (within operating hours)
- Right to talk to employees and safety representatives
- Right to take photographs and samples
They are entitled to your cooperation and answers to questions.
Don't forget they are there to give help and advice, particularly to smaller businesses who may not have a lot of knowledge about health and safety. When inspectors do find problems, they will aim to deal with you in a reasonable and fair way.
Notices
If serious contraventions are noted or there is a serious risk to the health and safety of employees, inspectors have the right to issue a notice.
There are two types of notices:
- Improvement notice which requires you to make improvements
- Prohibition notice (where a risk of serious personal injury exists) which prohibits a process or the use of dangerous equipment where a risk of serious personal injury exists
If you receive an improvement or prohibition notice you have the right to appeal to an employment tribunal.
Inspectors do have the power to prosecute a business or, under certain circumstances, an individual for breaking health and safety laws, but before any action is taken they will take account of your attitude and safety record.
Training
We offer health and safety training courses for employers, employees, self-employed or anyone interested.
Contact
If you require any further guidance or information or have a health and safety concern, please contact Environmental Health.