The Health & Safety and Licensing Team of Environmental Health aim to protect public health through carrying out regular checks on the 3000+ workplaces for which we are the enforcing authority. These include retail shops, warehouses, offices, catering establishments, hotels, holiday camps, residential care homes, leisure activities and consumer services. All such premises are given a risk score following visits to ensure those that present the most risk are inspected more frequently.

Some workplaces in the Borough are visited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Examples of these include building sites, factories, farms, hospitals and other ‘industrial’ activities. HSE is also responsible where people run a business from home. The local HSE office can be contacted on 01603 753800.

The service produces an annual Service Plan in a statutory format. This provides information on what we achieved in the last year and what we aim to do in the current year.

As well as conducting regular inspections of premises the team also investigate complaints of poor workplace conditions and certain accidents that have occurred in workplaces or as a result of a work activity. The team follow a working procedure to decide which such reports to investigate and to ensure consistency in investigation.

In any visit or investigation the aim is always to secure public health and safety. Where possible we will do this by providing advice and guidance to employers, but it is sometimes necessary to take more formal action to ensure compliance. Environmental Health follow a strict Enforcement Policy when taking any form of formal action and there is a formal complaints procedure which can be followed by anyone not satisfied with the actions taken.

The Health & Safety and Licensing Section of Environmental Health are committed to working together with proprietors and managers to achieve high standards in all workplaces and prevent problems from occurring. We are always willing to give advice and guidance on issues. We have a vast array of free leaflets available on may topics and have produced our own detailed guides for small businesses on how to comply with the many different health & safety legal requirements.

For all enquires please contact the Environment and Health department.