Health and Safety

Who is responsible for Health and Safety?

There are different authorities who are responsible for health and safety in different sectors. The easiest way to know which enforcing authority you should contact for help and advice is by checking the Health and Safety Executive’s Authority Directory [external link]. 

What is the council's role?

It is the responsibility of our Environmental Health team to deal with health and safety concerns in Darlington. Our officers do this by: 

• Carrying out planned inspections
• Giving advice when the public, employers and employees contact us
• Investigating complaints about health and safety in some workplaces
• Investigating workplace accidents and incidents
• Keeping a register of cooling towers and evaporative condensers within Darlington
• Taking enforcement action where there is a breech of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Environmental Health team publishes an annual service plan  [pdf document]

Reporting Incidents at work

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. Reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement.

This regulation requires a workplace to report work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities (including having visitors to your business) but not to all incidents. 

The reports are received by the environmental health team and allows them to locate where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents. 

These investigations can then help to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss, much of which is uninsurable.

Visit the Health and Safety Executive website [external link] for a full list of reportable diseases.

Who do I report to?

You can make a report online :
•    Click here to report an injury [external link]
•    Click here to report a dangerous occurrence [external link]
•    Click here to report a disease [external link]

Report a workplace or place you visited 

If you have visited a business as a customer, or are concerned about a health, safety or welfare issue at your place of work you can us:

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01325 405111

We will respond in one working day.

Useful links

• The Health and Safety Executive [external link]
• British Safety Council [external link]
• Trades Union Congress [external link]
• Confederation of British Industry [external link]
• The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health [external link]