Bassetlaw District Council is responsible for ensuring that the Health & Safety at Work Act and associated legislation is complied with in over 1500 commercial premises in the Bassetlaw Area.
Programmed inspections are undertaken on offices, shops, warehouses, places used for leisure activities, residential care homes and other non-industrial premises; the Health & Safety Executive inspect factories and other industrial operations. This inspection program ensures that businesses comply with the relevant Health and Safety legislation. Inspections are carried out on a routine basis, generally without prior notification and higher risk premises are visited more frequently than lower risk premises.
During an inspection, officers will need to be satisfied that the business is controlling the potential risks to employees and anyone else who may come into contact with any of the business' activities. They also will look at the level of health and safety training of managers and employees.
Information to Employees or their Representatives
During a normal inspection visit an inspector will expect to check that those in charge, e.g. employers, have arrangements in place for consulting and informing employees or their representatives, e.g. safety representatives, about health and safety matters. Such arrangements are required by law.
An inspector will meet or speak to employees or their representatives during a visit, wherever possible, unless this is clearly inappropriate because of the purpose of the visit. When they meet, employees or their representatives should always be given the opportunity to speak privately to the inspector, if they so wish.
The inspector will provide employees or their representatives with certain information where necessary for the purpose of keeping them informed about matters affecting their health, safety and welfare. This information relates to the workplace or activity taking place there, and action which the inspector has taken or proposes to take. The type of information that an inspector will provide includes:
- matters which an inspector considers to be of serious concern;
- details of any enforcement action taken by the inspector; and
- an intention to prosecute the business (but not before the duty holder is informed).
Depending on the circumstances, the inspector may provide this information orally or in writing.
Complaints
The above information sets out what you can expect when a health and safety inspector calls at your workplace. If you have a complaint that these procedures have not been followed you should refer to the Service Complaints Procedure.
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 8, 2024