07 October 2008Sevenoaks District Council's Health and Safety Team
Inspections and enforcement
Accident and incident investigations
Fire safety for your business
Contacting the Health and Safety Team
The Health and Safety Team
The aim of the Council's Health and Safety Team is to make sure that people living and working in Sevenoaks District are aware of health and safety hazards at work. Our objective is to help you reduce the likelihood of accidents and dangerous incidents. We provide advice to employers, their employees and the public.
Along with the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety Team is responsible for making sure that regulations set out in current health and safety legislation are understood and followed by employers and their employees. To do this we:
For more information on the HSE and current regulations, visit The Health and Safety Executive website. Alternatively contact the Council's Health and Safety Team.
Inspections and enforcement
Having good or even adequate health and safety systems is not a matter of choice. The law requires all employers to take reasonable steps to implement good health and safety measures and we believe that prevention is better than cure. Our role is to actively work with businesses, especially small and medium sized enterprises, to advise and assist with compliance.
Inspections
The law states that an inspector can call at any reasonable time. There is also an obligation on your part not to be obstructive and to co-operate with the inspector. Our Health and Safety Team are dedicated professionals who aim to deliver a high quality service so you can expect:
Enforcement
When enforcing Health and Safety legislation, inspectors will:
In most cases, breaches of health and safety law will be dealt with informally either verbally or in writing.
Improvement Notice
In more serious cases, or where an informal approach has failed in the past, the Council will serve an Improvement Notice. This will require works to be carried out or procedures to be put in place within a set time-scale. Failure to complete the works set out in an Improvement Notice by the specified date can result in prosecution.
Prohibition Notice
Where the Council believes a serious risk to health and safety exists, it may serve a Prohibition Notice. It prohibits the activity until steps have been taken to remove the risk. Breaching a Prohibition Notice is also an offence and may lead to immediate prosecution.
Prosecution
Prosecution will be considered where serious breaches of the law are discovered. We may also prosecute where there has been a continuing failure to address health and safety problems - whether or not an injury has occurred.
For further details, please refer to the Health and Safety Commissions Policy Statement on Enforcement, which includes guidance to local authorities or contact The Health and Safety Executive. Alternatively contact the Council's Health and Safety Team.
Accident and incident investigations
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Act 1995 (RIDDOR).
Under current health and safety legislation, notifiable accidents and dangerous occurrences in Sevenoaks District must be reported to RIDDOR. All fatal and most major accidents are automatically investigated as are all dangerous occurrences and reports of occupational disease. RIDDOR places a duty on employers to report work related:
You must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence. This must include the date and method of reporting; the date, time and place of the event, personal details of those involved and a brief description of the nature of the event or disease. You can keep the record in any form you wish.
For more information, see the 'Accidents at work' page on this website or to report an accident or incident at work visit www.riddor.gov.uk.
Fire safety for your busines
Kent Fire & Rescue Service is responsible for the enforcement of the fire regulations. Under the Fire Regulations and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) there are duties that you the employer, are required to fulfil.Fire safety officers based at the service's 13 district fire safety offices make regular visits to businesses to make sure the regulations are complied with.
Contacting the Health and Safety Team
Call 01732 227000
Fax 01732 742339
e-mail environmental.health@sevenoaks.gov.uk
Health and Safety Team
Sevenoaks District Council
Argyle Road
Sevenoaks
Kent
TN13 1HG
