Health and safety at work

If you are an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your workplace is safe for your employees and anyone else who visits your site.

Our inspectors make sure that your health and safety arrangements are robust enough to meet the legal requirements by:

• carrying out workplace inspections
• investigating accidents at work, and
• investigating complaints about workplace conditions.

We share responsibility for enforcing health and safety legislation with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).  As a local authority, we regulate:

• consumer services in shops such as shoe repairers
• catering establishments, including cafes, restaurants, etc.
• warehouses storing goods for wholesale or retail distribution
• childcare facilities like nurseries and playgroups
• hotels, guest houses, camp sites and caravan sites
• tyre and exhaust fitting establishments
• office activities
• animal accommodation including kennels, catteries, stables and zoos
• health clubs and leisure activities; theatres, cinemas, night clubs, etc.
• therapeutic treatment centres including massage, solaria, aromatherapy, etc.
• display and sale of goods at an exhibition
• undertakers
• churches and religious meeting halls
• coin-operated wet and dry cleaning establishments.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) covers factories, the construction industry, government offices and the transport network. 

More information

The main health and safety legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974.