Health and Safety Enforcement Policy

It is the Council’s aim to:

• support and assist businesses to comply with legislation
• provide consistent, accurate and up-to-date information aimed at providing protection to employees and customers
• support and assist businesses to comply with legal obligations to ensure a safe environment

The Council will achieve these aims in the following ways:

• to protect people by providing information, training and advice, and undertaking enforcement in accordance with this policy and Government guidance;
• develop partnerships and approaches to service delivery to enhance services, increase impact and reduce costs through innovation;
• to support businesses to adopt best practice and to recognise their contribution towards economic growth and social benefits;
• develop new ways to establish and maintain an effective health and safety culture in a changing economy, so that all employers take their responsibilities seriously, the workforce is fully involved and risks are properly managed;
• participate in the Primary authority scheme;
• exemplify our own corporate health and safety practice in managing our resources

The service will be delivered through:

i) Risk-based targeting of inspections of high risk businesses based on national and local intelligence, with appropriate follow-up action;

ii) Project based intervention programmes based on the HSE’s key priority areas and local intelligence;

iii) Investigation of complaints with appropriate follow-up action;

iv) Investigation of accidents with appropriate follow-up action;

v) Suitably trained and experienced officers who are effectively monitored;

vi) Provision of information to businesses about legal requirements, good practices and what to expect of the inspecting officer/authority;

vii) Promotional activities to inform and encourage high standards in businesses.

It is recognised that resources are finite. Therefore, it is particularly important that resources for health and safety are targeted at activities that pose the greatest risk and that will allow for the most effective and efficient use of resources in delivering outcomes.

Priority will be given to targeting those activities that pose the greatest risk to employees and members of the public. In particular, priority will be given to those issues within the HSE Strategy identified as the greatest causes of accidents within the local authority enforced sector. In setting priorities and the local authority’s work plan, due regard will be given to the National Local Authority Enforcement Code published by the HSE. This will consist of having regard to national priorities and sector specific strategies set by the HSE; local priorities informed by local intelligence, workplace accidents and complaints, Matters of Evident Concern and Matters of Potential Major Concern; and Primary Authority inspection plans.

These key priorities will determine the approach taken towards individual inspections and the overall intervention programme itself. Officers will focus on these key priorities during interventions in the following ways:

• the correct and uniform identification of high-risk areas with particular attention being given to the key priorities during inspections and as a result of complaint and accident investigation and to concentrate efforts to reduce these risks;
• ensuring compliance with the law;
• engaging in those promotional activities for businesses and employees, which are most likely to foster improved health and safety, and;
• working with other agencies to improve health and safety standards either through enforcement or promotional activities.