Have your say
All local councils now have to produce an annual Safety Service Plan.
The plan outlines what we are doing to ensure occupational safety. The Plan also outlines what we have achieved and what we wish to do in the forthcoming year.
Most of the businesses in the District are already working towards achieving legal standards of health safety and welfare. As an Authority we put a lot of effort into ensuring that these standards are maintained and improved where required to ensure health safety and welfare at premises for which we have enforcement responsibility.
We have adopted a firm, but fair approach to ensure standards are achieved.
Formal enforcement action is generally taken on a risk-based approach or where an employer or person in control of premises fails to respond to informal requests to comply with their legal duties.
Wherever we believe there is imminent or unacceptable risk formal action is taken.
We have produced an enforcement policy to outline our approach to taking action.
Each year we inspect a percentage of the 1500 premises in the area for which we have enforcement responsibility to make sure employers, employees and the self-employed comply with legal duties. We also take steps to protect persons who are exposed to work activities from significant hazards.
Last year we again inspected 100% of all premises due for inspection. We also compare ourselves against both national and local performance indicators and these have also all been achieved.
As a result of our educative and informative approach we believe that standards are improving.
We also investigate all reportable accidents and incidents and complaints regarding workplace health, safety and welfare.
The Safety Service Plan provides an opportunity to build on that successful approach to achieve even higher standards.
Recent local initiatives include:
In the near future we hope to carry out more consultation with small and medium size businesses about the way the service is provided and how we could improve it.
The attached committee document details last year's service plan achievements and our proposals for the forthcoming year Health and Safety Service Plan 2007 - 2008
