Health and Safety
Accident Reporting
Asbestos
COSHH
Electrical Safety
Expectant mothers (webpage under
construction)
Gas Safety (webpage under construction)
First Aid
Manual Handling (webpage under
construction)
Risk Assessment (webpage under
construction)
Safety Policy
Visual Display Units
Welfare (webpage under construction)
Work equipment (webpage under
construction)
Young Persons (webpage under construction)
Responsibility for the enforcement of Health
and Safety Legislation is shared between the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities.
Bedford Borough Council is the enforcing
Authority for the following types of premises in the Borough:
- The sale of goods, or the storage of goods
for retail or wholesale distribution
- The display or demonstration of goods at an
exhibition
- Office activities.
- Catering services
- Residential accommodation, both permanent or
temporary (including caravan or campsite)
- Coin operated launderettes
- Theraputic and beauty services
- Leisure and recreational facilities
- Hiring out of pleasure craft for use on
inland waters
- Animal Care
- Undertakers
- Church worship or religious meetings
- The provision of child care, or playgroup or
nursery facilities.
All other types of business will be the
responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive
Our aims and objectives are to ensure through education and
enforcement that employers ensure the health, safety and welfare of
their employees by providing safe working conditions and giving
adequate training in safe working practices to minimise the risk of
illness or injury. We are also concerned to protect the
health and safety of people such as customers in a shop or guests
at a hotel who may be affected by work activities.
When will Health and safety officers
visit?
- Officers may visit for a variety of reasons
including:
- A routine Health and Safety inspection
- As part of an educational campaign
- In response to an accident
- In response to a complaint
Officers have the right to enter any workplace
without giving notice, though notice may be given where the
inspector thinks it is appropriate.
What to expect when a Health and
Safety Officer calls
On a normal inspection visit an Officer would
expect to look at the workplace, the work activities, your
management of health and safety, and to check that you are
complying with health and safety law. The Officer may offer
guidance or advice to help you. He/she may also talk to employees
and their representatives, take photographs and samples, serve
improvement notices and take action if there is a risk to health
and safety which needs to be dealt with immediately.
On finding a breach of health and safety law,
the Officer 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 Bedford Borough Council’s Enforcement Policy Statement.
Officer should 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.
Officers may take enforcement action in
several ways to deal with a breach of the law. In most cases these
are:
Informal
Where the breach of the law is relatively
minor, the Officer may tell the dutyholder, for example the
employer or contractor, what to do to comply with the law, and
explain why. The Officer will, if asked, write to confirm any
advice, and to distinguish legal requirements from best practice
advice.
Improvement notice
Where the breach of the law is more serious,
the Officer may issue an improvement notice to tell the dutyholder
to do something to comply with the law. The Officer will discuss
the improvement notice and, if possible, resolve points of
difference before serving it. The notice will say what needs to be
done, why, and by when. The time period within which to take the
remedial action will be at least 21 days, to allow the dutyholder
time to appeal to an Industrial Tribunal if they so wish (see
‘Appeals’ below). The Officer can take further legal action if the
notice is not complied with within the specified time period.
Prohibition notice
Where an activity involves, or will involve, a
risk of serious personal injury, the Officer may serve a
prohibition notice prohibiting the activity immediately or after a
specified time period, and not allowing it to be resumed until
remedial action has been taken. The notice will explain why the
action is necessary. The dutyholder will be told in writing about
the right of appeal to an Industrial Tribunal (see ‘Appeals’
below).
Prosecution
In some cases the inspector may consider that
it is also necessary to initiate a prosecution. Decisions on
whether to prosecute are informed by the principles in Bedford
Borough Council’s Enforcement Policy Statement. Health and safety
law gives the courts considerable scope for punishing offenders and
deterring others. For example, a failure to comply with an
improvement or prohibition notice, or a court remedy order, carries
a fine of up to £20 000, or six months’ imprisonment, or both.
Unlimited fines and in some cases imprisonment may be imposed by
higher courts.