Health and Safety

Responsibility for health and safety is split between the national Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local councils.

Health and safety enforcement plan

The council must prepare and publish an annual service plan.

Health and safety service Plan 2013/14 [pdf document]

Who is responsible for health and safety?

The HSE deals with;

• factories,
• building sites,
• mines and quarries,
• farms,
• fairgrounds,
• railways,
• chemical plant and offshore
• nuclear installations.

The council deals with;

• shops,
• warehouses,
• offices,
• hotels and catering,
• sports,
• leisure
• consumer services such as;
  • launderettes,
  • hairdressers,
  • undertakers,
  • shoe repair,
  • tyre and exhaust (fitters),
  • residential care homes
  • churches. 

The council's work includes:

• Carrying out planned inspections
• Giving advice and information about health and safety
• Investigating complaints about health and safety in workplaces
• Investigating workplace accidents
• Registration of cooling towers and evaporative condensers
• Storage and use of pesticides at work and in the home

For advice and information about health and safety call 01325 405111 or email [email protected].

Enforcement

When officers visit a workplace they look at how employers manage the risk to their employees and anyone else who may be affected by what they are doing.

Officers concentrate on the risk of fatal accidents, major injuries and incidents of public concern.

More information about our enforcement policy [pdf document]