Cannock Chase District Council inspects workplaces, investigates accidents and complaints to protect the health, safety and welfare of those working in or visiting premises where they may be exposed to risks from work related activities.
Local Authorities are directed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) each year to prioritise areas of significant risk which have been nationally identified. However, visits are also made in response to certain accident notifications and reports or complaints about unhealthy or dangerous working environments.
Health and safety interventions are also planned in annually focussing on key topics as the result of intelligence gathered on issues locally and nationally; examples of previous interventions undertaken have been gas safety, slips and trips, work place violence, work at height and workplace transport.
Key Activities
• Planned Interventions to ensure organisations are working within the law
• Investigation of accidents and dangerous occurrences
• Investigation of workplace health and safety complaints
• As part of registration, inspect skin piercing and tattooist establishments.
- What’s the difference between the Council and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)?
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Certain types of businesses and work activities fall to the Council’s Environmental Health & Public Protection service for enforcement and advice - such as shops and warehouses, , offices, catering & hospitality, hotels, campsites, residential care homes, consumer services such as tyre & exhaust fitting, hair & beauty, and tattooists, leisure businesses, building merchants, playgroups and nurseries, garden centres etc.
- The HSE will investigate, enforce and advise on health and safety in industrial and manufacturing premises, farms and agricultural premises, motor vehicle repair, construction sites, including construction work being done at domestic houses.
To contact the HSE with a complaint visit Tell us about a health and safety issue
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- Fire Safety
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If any matters relate to fire safety, contact Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
- What will happen on a health and safety visit to my premises?
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• An officer may visit to carry out an inspection or to investigate a complaint or accident.
• Inspectors can visit without giving notice and does not need to make an appointment. They have a right to enter and inspect all commercial premises at all reasonable hours. Occasionally, an appointment may be made to make sure they can speak to a responsible person.
• The Inspector will give feedback on the visit. If any problems have been identified, you will be advised and asked to put things right either to comply with the law or as good practice.
• You will be given a reasonable time to rectify these issues, unless there is an immediate risk to the health and safety of employees or others.
• Inspectors have the power to serve legal notices to make improvements to standards and also notices to prohibit activities, premises or equipment if they present a risk of serious personal injury.
• If the visit is in relation to an accident investigation, this may involve several visits, requests for information or further questioning.
• The Inspector may also decide to contact you by email or telephone depending upon the nature of the complaint or accident. - Accident Reporting
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Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) is a piece of legislation that requires employers, and anyone else who is responsible for the health and safety within a workplace, to report and keep records of:-
Specified Serious injuries:
- Fractures (other than to fingers, thumbs and toes)
- Amputation of an arm, hand, thumb or leg
- Injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight/reduction in sight
- Injury resulting in 7+ days off work
- Any crush injury to the head or torso, causing damage to the brain
- Any burn injury (including scalding) which:-
- Covers more than 10% of the whole body’s total surface or
- Causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory or other vital organs - Any loss of consciousness caused by a head injury or asphyxia
- Injury arising from working in an enclosed space which:
- Leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness or
- Requires resuscitation/admittance to hospital
- Work-related deaths
- Cases of diagnosed industrial disease
- Dangerous occurrences (certain listed, ‘near-miss’ events)
- Injury resulting 7+ days off work
- Certain dangerous occurrences (near misses)
The reason why such incidents are legally reportable is to enable enforcing authorities to determine where and how risks arise and whether they need to be investigated. It also allows enforcing authorities to target their resources and provide advice on how to avoid/prevent work related ill health or even death from occurring. - How to Report an Incident
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Various report forms can be found online. You must complete and submit the appropriate form, which will then be sent directly to the RIDDOR database. You will receive a copy for your records.
Telephone
Fatalities and major injures only, can be reported via the Incident Contact Centre on 0845 300 9923 (opening hours Monday-Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm).
For further guidance please refer to the Health and Safety Executive website. - Where can I get information on health and safety for businesses?
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By law, businesses have to maintain the health, safety and welfare of employees, members of the public and anyone else who is affected by the activities of the business.
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) website has a great deal of free information and guidance to help you so check out Guidance on health and safety at work
Small businesses may find their example risk assessments useful, and these cover a range of businesses including shops, warehouses, food businesses and offices etc. Risk assessment: Template and examples
If you are a new business – the Getting started information will help Looking after your business - Getting started as will the H&S ABC: An easy guide to health and safety.
Information about accident reporting and RIDDOR can be found here Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences RIDDOR
If you would like any further advice or guidance please contact the Food and Safety team on 01543 462621 or email environmentalhealth@cannockchasedc.gov.uk