Our role in Health and Safety

Employer’s duty  

Employers have a responsibility to: 

• provide safe working conditions and operate safe working practices
• give enough training in safe working practices, so there is less risk of illness or injury 

Health and safety standards also apply to: 

• customers of a business 
• contractors working at the site 
• employees
• those who are self-employed

Our role in health and safety  

We are responsible for overseeing workplace standards in our district. This includes: 

• offices (except government offices) 
• shops 
• hotels 
• restaurants 
• distribution and warehousing
• leisure premises 
• nurseries and playgroups 
• pubs and clubs 
• museums (privately owned) 
• places of worship 
• sheltered accommodation and care homes 
• factories 
• farms 
• building sites 
• mines 
• schools and colleges 
• fairgrounds 
• gas, electricity and water supplies (we deal with gas and electrical issues at our businesses)
• hospitals and nursing homes 
• central and local government premises 
• offshore installations 

We’re impartial and work with employers and employees with the aim of making sure there are good health, safety and welfare standards in place. 

Our work involves 

• giving advice and information 
• inspection of workplaces 
• investigating accidents, dangerous situations, or cases of industrial disease 
• enforcement of the standards required by law, usually by advice, legal notice, and prosecution 

We always try to ensure that our requirements are in proportion to the degree of risk to health or safety. 

Inspections and inspector rights

Our health & safety inspectors have the right to enter work premises at any time. Inspectors do not normally make appointments and can visit without notice.  
A schedule of inspections is carried out based on the national priority rating scheme.  

Health & Safety Executive 

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) are the relevant enforcement agency for the following workplaces: 

• factories 
• farms 
• building sites 
• mines 
• schools and colleges 
• fairgrounds 
• gas, electricity and water systems 
• hospitals and nursing homes 
• central and local government premises 
• offshore installations