Environmental Health Officers have responsibilities in terms of enforcing health and safety at work legislation.

Health and safety at work

Environmental Health Officers have responsibilities in terms of enforcing health and safety at work legislation. We work to ensure that business premises meet their health and safety responsibilities, giving guidance and advice in most cases but where necessary taking action to protect health and safety.

We target our activities on nationally and locally identified high risk sectors and activities and those businesses where there is evidence of poor performance, for example work related accidents, ill health and complaints.

This is achieved using a range of planned interventions and reactive responses to health and safety complaints or incidents.

Local authority/HSE enforcement responsibility

Enforcement of Health and Safety legislation is split between Local Authorities and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Local authorities are responsible, generally, for the enforcement of Health and Safety legislation within the service sectors. This includes offices, shops, warehousing and distribution, residential care, beauty sector, hotels, catering and leisure facilities.

HSE are responsible for Health and Safety enforcement within the manufacturing industries, medical and educational establishments. This includes factories, farms, building sites, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and local authority premises.